‘Mechanise agri sector to boost productivity’

BUUMBA CHIMBULU writes@SunZambianMAJOR stakeholders in the agriculture sector have called for adoption of value chain approach to mechanisation as one of the best options towards attaining productivity in the segment on the continent.These stakeholders include experts in agricultural mechanisation, agribusiness, digital agriculture and representative of global agencies such as the World Bank, Africa Union, and the National Agriculture Research Organization (NARO) of Uganda and private sector players.They agreed that smallholder farmers are key players in the value chain system that can engender growth and sustainability of Africa’s agricultural productivity.This came to light during a webinar organised by African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) recently.AATF Business Development Manager, George Marechera, said mechanisation provided an opportunity for smallholder farmers to evolve from subsistence to business.Mr Marechera said this could only happen where mechanisation was adopted along the agricultural value chain.“Mechanisation brings about increased production and reduces high labor costs, enhances efficient production at low cost and facilitates competitive pricing, promote efficient use of input and enhance productivity,” he said.Mr Marechera explained that farmer aggregation, clustering and training on mechanisation and farming as a business, and identification of local entrepreneurs were critical steps needed to ensure mechanisation makes an impact on the continent.He said training of tractor operators in mechanization service provision including the establishment of Mechanization Model Farms (MMF) to provide technology demonstration and capacity building were also cardinal.He noted that mechanisation was not a silver bullet to the production challenges facing agriculture but encouraged the introduction of a mechanization system that ensures smallholder farmers get optimal benefits from utilising mechanization.World Bank Global Lead, Data-Driven and Digital Agriculture, Parmesh Shah, noted mechanisation went beyond deployment of tractors to farms as it involved production, harvesting, post-harvest handling, transportation, storage, and packaging.Dr Shah noted that most African countries were not at par when it came to the deployment of tractors in agriculture.He therefore called for a critical review of sub-regional patterns in the utilisation of mechanisation to see what works and what can be borrowed. The Sun