Report
Regional synthesis and research dialogue on appropriate mechanization in sub-Saharan Africa
Autor
Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo (CIMMYT)
Resumen
Key Stakeholders in Agriculture from West, East and Southern African Countries came together in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 23-24 October 2018 for the two days’ event focusing on a Regional Synthesis & Research Dialogue on Appropriate Mechanization in Sub-Saharan Africa. Around 45 participants representing national and international institutes, government, Non-government organizations and donors attended this important meeting. The meeting was held at premises of the International livestock research institute (ILRI). The main objectives of the two days’ workshop were to bring together various stakeholders from sub-Saharan countries working around Agricultural Mechanization to exchange and share knowledge and to define the broader scope for research around appropriate mechanization. The program consisted of presentations, Talk show and poster sessions on agricultural mechanization and its role in sustainable intensification in Africa. The presentations included the new Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization framework for Africa from FAO, Experience of CIMMYT and its partners with the multiple dimensions of appropriate mechanization in Eastern and Southern Africa and Profitability analysis to identify appropriate mechanization technology level from smallholders and service providers perspectives from GIZ. The poster sessions took major portion of the workshop where poster owners presented their countries experience on appropriate mechanization in the context of sustainable intensification and climate-smart agriculture, appropriate mechanization and social inclusiveness and models to scale out appropriate mechanization through commercialization. Between the presentations and the poster sessions there were feedback as well as question and answer sessions where participants reflected on the lessons and shared experiences throughout the workshop days. Among the many issues raised during the discussions, the importance of embracing the private sector in African Agriculture to move upward and get commercialized and the significant role of women, the youth and service providers were put forward as significant to see broad-based impacts from mechanizations on the African Agriculture. Policy implications in smallholder agricultural mechanization were also discussed with a focus on the importance of policies, rules and regulations that affect agricultural mechanization and some of the potential policy areascontributing to the expansion of smallholder mechanization. Generally, the workshop put forward the need to advocate agricultural mechanization in the continent, promoting the identified opportunities to donors and government and the importance of coordination by both national and international research institutes. 37 pages