This document summarizes a regional workshop on sustainable agricultural mechanization practices in Sub-Saharan Africa and opportunities for investment. It then provides details about the Youth Empowerment Training centre in Northern Uganda, which trains tractor operators. The centre has trained over 135 individuals, over 70% of whom found employment. Training focuses on tractor operation and maintenance. The centre also provides hire services for local farmers and faces challenges in securing long-term employment for trainees and addressing sexual harassment issues. It concludes that well-trained operators are key to ensuring tractor efficiency and lifespan.

1. Regional workshop to share experiences of
sustainable agricultural mechanization hire service
provision practices in Sub-Saharan African countries.
What opportunities for investments?
Rebecca Kate Spencer
Youth Empowerment Training centre
Northern Uganda
December 9-12, 2019, Grand Imperial Hotel
Uganda, Kampala

2. Training Skilled Tractor Operators
• UK Charity 2010  Schools in Mozambique and
Malawi  Commercial Farm N.Uganda. Outgrowers.
Inspired to fulfil Northern Recovery 2040 YET centre
Program begins- Registered & Permit NGO Board, DIT &
UGAPRIVI memberships, MoU Local District, Sub
County and Community relations. Partnership with
ENGSOL to fill gap in operator knowledge.
• YET centre is in the heart of a poor rural
community. 4kms off the Nebbi/Arua Road,
Northern Uganda, Nwoya District.
We have hosted there since end 2015.
• March 2016 we started training the first
young female tractor operators.

3. Our Training Results
To Date:
• 71 young women trained, 54 young men. =135
• Upto 50% YET graduates, do not have PLE
• All graduates are tested and passed by IOV for
Class H permits
• Over 70% graduates are employed to operate,
often seasonal but many fulltime.
• Women operating fulltime for large commercial
farms, - Biyinzika Poultry, Omer farms, Asilli
Farms, Amatheon Agri. (Video)

4. We have found that, ‘Women take more
responsibility for the tractor and
therefore, are more economical than
their male counterparts, within
mechanized agriculture.’
Flavia Andyadwe, 21 years, Trained at YET 2016,
Employed to drive 80Hp Tractors at Omer Farms, 2017

5. Tractor Operations Level 1
• Objectives of the course
• To appreciate the provision and effects that Agriculture
has on humans and the environment .
• To appreciate the role of tractors in farming and the
need for efficiency in order to make profits.
• To know the various implements that a tractor can use,
specifically the role of a trailer, plough and harrow and
its potential to support small scale farmers.
• To understand how the PTO shaft operates and the
utilization of a PTO for large scale farmer
• To know how to keep myself and others safe whilst
maintaining and operating a tractor
• To identify and know the layout, components and
operation principles of a tractor – 6 systems
• To learn how to operate a tractor. Forward and Reverse.
• To learn the parts of and how to maneuver a trailer
• To learn how to hitch, adjust and effectively operate the
implements, harrow and plough.
• To know the importance of tractor and implement
maintenance, and how to check and service them.
• To know and properly observe traffic rules, regulations
and road signs.
• To understand the importance of soft skills for
employment and sustainable mechanization.
Our training principle
• The performance, efficiency,
durability and economic viability
of a tractor, and its implements,
depend on the level of skills
possessed by its operator. An
operator whose level of
competence and operational
performance is very good, adds
value to the business, keeps
expenses and costs to a
minimum, and will maintain and
protect the assets of a company.

6. Capacity: machinery and human resources
Machinery resources
Type of Equipment Performance Date of Purchase New or Used
condition
Tractor with Offset Disk
Harrow, 2 Disk plough
35Di. Started to pay off
2016. Ownership in
2019
New
Trailer 2 Ton Used
Tractor with Disk Mould
Plough
80 HP Rented for training Used
Human resources
Staff Number Training/Qualification Years of
experience
Operators 135 YET 6-7wks
Trainers 5 UCE. YET. 2-3years
Director 1 Bahons, Post Grad Cert’ 22years
Consultant 1 Masters. Hons. Agri 13years

7. Major mechanization hire-services:
Outputs
Description of the
activity
Agricultural
production chain
Output (in Ha/year,
t/h, km …)
Period over the
year
Ploughing for
Sesame
Cooperative
Land Preparation 178 acres
178farmers
2 weeks
Harrowing for Chia
Producer
Secondary
Preparation
50 acres
1 farm
1 week
Ploughing/
Transporting for
Xclusive Ltd
Farm Start Up
Preparation
100 hours (Tractor) 10 days

8. Sources of financing for the acquisition
of equipment
TAFE 35Di Tractor with 2 Disk
Plough, Offset Disk Harrow and 2
Ton Trailer. Bank loan backed by
ENGSOL (partner)
FTFYLA partnership. Grant
Concept to develop SWMH
business- YET centre.
80Hp Tractor plus Chisel
plough, slasher + sprayer
MAAIF/NAADS program to
improve mechanised agriculture-
Successful application for 60Hp
Tractor + Tillage implements

9. Business Future/Challenges
Challenges
• Learning of technical skills not
enough. Soft skills training is
necessary for the successful
application of the technical.
• Employment for those trained is not
easy, since standard requirements are
over 25yrs with 3 yrs experience.
• Lack of Road Law therefore our
training or driving permit or properly
maintained road worthy tractors not
absolutely necessary. Tractor owners
often use untrained operators- family
members/friends as operators.
• IOV testing happens off site not on
Training site and in their time not at
the end of our training course
• Sexual harrassment issues for the
women operators in male dominated
workplaces, especially on isolated
farms
Future
• Service provision within our
community, blocking the SSF 1 acre
plots into 50acres to make more
efficient and economical.
• Level 2 training- PTO implements/
CA implements and methods /
calibration.
• Partner with ENGSOL to become
service centre for TAFE tractors in
North
• Use additional tractor for quality
service provision- modelling CA
practices & utilising elite operators
• Partner with TroTro to implement
quality mobile tractor services
• Manage other tractors for owners
in service and training

10. Conclusions
From 4 years experience training Ugandan youth &
good relations with all scale farmers & TAFE dealer
• Operators of tractors MUST have Record Keeping skills. Concern for parts loss
(Observation whilst operating). Critical Thinking Skills. Ability to Calculate fuel
Consumption. Concern for the environment and the yields for farmer.
• Tractors need to last their lifetime (10,000hrs) and will only do so if managed
very well by the operators/owners.
• Training supports the vulnerable farmer- can offer free services as trainers get
experience on land
• Training has to be a high standard-it is the foundation of the mechanisation
service because there is a strong correlation between the skill set of an operator
and the efficiency and maintenance cost of the tractor and implement.
• Farmer Organisations should be grouped according to land geography. Most SSF
have access to 1-2 acres. Land needs to be combined so plots are adjacent, so
service can be provided to 50acres to be more efficient for greater results and
less costs.
• YET centre works in harmony with rural SSF community members, including local
primary school, so trainees learning is shared further and the SSF benefits from
mechanisation at minimum cost.
• Operators should work in teams, not individuals= Less issues and better standard
of service.