Baudron, Frédéric

Kahan, D.

Mulatu, E.

Mupangwa, W.

Tirfessa, D.

CGSpace

PicturesDelivery models based on private sector engagement to ensure sustainability• Most Ethiopian farmers are capital constrained and unable to purchase two-wheel tractors individually: they could nevertheless access mechanizationthrough services provided by rural entrepreneurs.• In addition, it is not profitable for farmers to own machines unless theyprovide services.• The profitability of service provision increases with multipurpose use of thetractors (e.g., seeding, transport, threshing), which increases tractor userates.Giving power to Africa-RISING farmers through small mechanization Frédéric Baudron, Dereje Tirfessa, David Kahan, Esayas Mulatu, Walter MupangwaCIMMYT (International Maize & Wheat Improvement Centre)Appropriate mechanization for sustainable intensification• Yield improving technologies are well known (e.g., row planting, timelyweeding, micro-dosing), but their application generally increases thedemand for farm power: human labor, draught animal power or enginepower.• However, farm power has increased very slowly in Ethiopia.• Land preparation is one of the most critical operation, and one of the mostpower intensive.• Zero-tillage (i.e., direct seeding without prior land preparation) allows forquick crop establishment and makes the use of low powered, affordable,and easy to maintain two-wheel tractors.• Two-wheel tractors are multipurpose sources of power and can be used foroperations such as transport, threshing and water pumping.Biomass shortages, diseases and droughts are challenging theuse of oxen in many parts of Ethiopia. Agriculture in the countryis dominated by labor-intensive operations.Our approach to appropriate mechanization summarized in onepicture: a direct seeder powered by a locally available two-wheeltractor (2WT) operated by a rural service provider receivingcontinuous training.Multipurpose use of two-wheel tractors: reaping, threshing,transporting and water pumping.020406080100Conv land prep +seeding2WT directseedingTime (hoursha-1)024681012Conv land prep +seeding2WT directseedingWheat  yield (t ha-1)Comparison of the performance of wheat established conventionally (maresha ploughing, manualseeding and broadcasting of fertilizer) and established through direct seeding with a two-wheeltractor (2WT). The time necessary to establish a wheat crop is more than 10 times lower and yield isincreased by more than 2 tonnes.Africa RISING in the Ethiopian HighlandsCore partners This poster is copyrighted by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). It is licensed for use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. November 2016We thank farmers and local partners in Africa RISING sites for their support

Giving power to Africa-RISING farmers through small mechanization

https://cgspace.cgiar.org/bitstream/10568/78231/1/ARethiopia_poster_baudron_nov16.pdf

Giving power to Africa-RISING farmers through small mechanization

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