Farmers Review Africa Sept/Oct 2018 FRA - September - October 2018 digital 5 | Page 4

NEWS
FAO, AU Launch Framework Document
that Supports Agricultural Mechanization
By Oscar Nkala
T
he United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO)
and the African Union have
launched a new framework document
that seeks to increase agricultural
efficiency and reduce drudgery by
helping African countries plan for
sustainable farm mechanization.
In a statement, the FAO said the The
Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization:
A Framework for Africa document was
launched in Rome on October 5. The
document was produced by policy
makers from AU member states, the
AU Commission, the FAO and other
partners.
According to the FAO, the document
offers a detailed look at the history of
farm machinery and suggests ways
of addressing present challenges
of the lack thereof, while creating
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new opportunities to drive the
mechanization of African agriculture.
“Doubling agricultural productivity and
eliminating hunger and malnutrition in
Africa by 2025 will be no more than
a mirage unless (farm) mechanization
is accorded utmost importance,” said
Josefa Sacko, AU Commissioner for
Rural Economy and Agriculture.
FAO Deputy Director-General Maria
Helena Semedo said Africa should
start using modern digital and
mechanical machinery to boost
productivity in all agricultural sectors.
The strategic framework identifies 10
priorities for AU member states to
include in their national agricultural
development plans. These include
the need to guarantee a stable supply
of machine spare parts, innovative
financing mechanisms and encourages
regional collaboration to enable
cross-border machinery hiring services.
“The framework notes that successful
national mechanization strategies
will address key sustainability issues
including gender, youth, environmental
protection and the overarching
principle that farming must be
profitable.
“It also emphasizes that these
strategies should cover the entire agri-
food value chain, including harvesting,
handling, processing and food safety
aspects, with an eye to reducing food
losses, boosting rural employment and
bolstering the links between farmers
and consumers,” the FAO said.
Presently, more than three-quarters of
small-holder farmers in sub-Saharan
Africa prepare their farms using hand
tools, leading to poor productivity.
Only 5% of farmers in Sub-Saharan
Africa use tractors for ploughing.
They also use low-yielding farming
techniques.