PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
Ethiopia: AUC, FAO determined to promote agricultural mechanization in Africa
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - The African Union Commission, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), on Thursday launched a project on Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization in Africa, according to a report on the website of the African Union (AU).
It said that the the project is in line with AU’s Africa Agenda 2063; the 2014 AU Malabo Declaration on Agricultural Growth and Transformation and the FAO’s new Strategic Framework of making agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable and also in promoting agricultural and rural development in Africa.
The main objective of the project is to contribute to the intensification of sustainable agricultural mechanization programmes in Africa by engaging stakeholders to take stock of the lessons and experiences derived over the years and most importantly, to discuss the need to support the integration of national and regional policies and strategies.
At the official launch of the project, Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, the AU Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture represented by Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture acting Director, Dr. Janet Edeme, noted that, “the project will contribute to the development of an African strategy for sustainable agricultural mechanization within the context of the Malabo Declaration. It will enhance the capacity of governments to integrate agricultural mechanization in their policy frameworks. Of significance, it will target women who bear the burden of African agriculture.”
According to the report, Rhoda Peace had expressed the hope that the project would help catalyze the intensification of sustainable agricultural mechanization in Africa through stocktaking of the lessons of experience and supporting its integration in national and regional policies and strategies.
Mr. Patrick Kormawa, Sub-regional Coordinator and FAO Representative at the AU and UNECA, emphasized that “the dream to have a hunger-free Africa by 2025 would remain a mirage without mechanization.” He also added that, “Africa will not feed its people if agricultural value chains do not modernize, enhancing food security and nutrition and creating opportunities for rural youths in agriculture.”
Agricultural mechanization plays a key role to Africa’s ambition to end hunger in the continent by 2025 as stated in the Malabo Declaration of 2014. The need for agricultural mechanization offers the ability to perform operations at the right time to maximize production potential; provides multi-functional machinery not only for crop production but also for postharvest operations, transport and infrastructure improvement.
Despite the renewed interest in mechanization in Africa, a large proportion of agriculture is still done using human power, with huge productivity, health, social and economic losses. Africa, south of the Sahara, has the lowest land productivity in the world, and agricultural mechanization has either stagnated or regressed in most countries. Africa’s average of 13 tractors/100km² of arable land compares unfavourably both with the global average (200/100km2) and with the average for other developing regions such as South Asia (129/100km2).
Mechanization is, however, witnessing resurgence in Africa, especially in AU Member States. Several countries are also re-engaging in upgrading the level of agricultural mechanization, realizing the potential to address some of the most fundamental farming challenges in a profound and comprehensive manner.
-0- PANA VAO 1July2016
It said that the the project is in line with AU’s Africa Agenda 2063; the 2014 AU Malabo Declaration on Agricultural Growth and Transformation and the FAO’s new Strategic Framework of making agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable and also in promoting agricultural and rural development in Africa.
The main objective of the project is to contribute to the intensification of sustainable agricultural mechanization programmes in Africa by engaging stakeholders to take stock of the lessons and experiences derived over the years and most importantly, to discuss the need to support the integration of national and regional policies and strategies.
At the official launch of the project, Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, the AU Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture represented by Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture acting Director, Dr. Janet Edeme, noted that, “the project will contribute to the development of an African strategy for sustainable agricultural mechanization within the context of the Malabo Declaration. It will enhance the capacity of governments to integrate agricultural mechanization in their policy frameworks. Of significance, it will target women who bear the burden of African agriculture.”
According to the report, Rhoda Peace had expressed the hope that the project would help catalyze the intensification of sustainable agricultural mechanization in Africa through stocktaking of the lessons of experience and supporting its integration in national and regional policies and strategies.
Mr. Patrick Kormawa, Sub-regional Coordinator and FAO Representative at the AU and UNECA, emphasized that “the dream to have a hunger-free Africa by 2025 would remain a mirage without mechanization.” He also added that, “Africa will not feed its people if agricultural value chains do not modernize, enhancing food security and nutrition and creating opportunities for rural youths in agriculture.”
Agricultural mechanization plays a key role to Africa’s ambition to end hunger in the continent by 2025 as stated in the Malabo Declaration of 2014. The need for agricultural mechanization offers the ability to perform operations at the right time to maximize production potential; provides multi-functional machinery not only for crop production but also for postharvest operations, transport and infrastructure improvement.
Despite the renewed interest in mechanization in Africa, a large proportion of agriculture is still done using human power, with huge productivity, health, social and economic losses. Africa, south of the Sahara, has the lowest land productivity in the world, and agricultural mechanization has either stagnated or regressed in most countries. Africa’s average of 13 tractors/100km² of arable land compares unfavourably both with the global average (200/100km2) and with the average for other developing regions such as South Asia (129/100km2).
Mechanization is, however, witnessing resurgence in Africa, especially in AU Member States. Several countries are also re-engaging in upgrading the level of agricultural mechanization, realizing the potential to address some of the most fundamental farming challenges in a profound and comprehensive manner.
-0- PANA VAO 1July2016
