• What we do
  • The People
  • About Us
  • Why Innovation Africa
  • Contact Us
Innovation AfricaCreating the Future Today
  • Feature Articles
  • Innovation
  • Agriculture
  • ICT
  • Technology
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Health
  • Store
  • Contact Us
Menu
  • Feature Articles
  • Innovation
  • Agriculture
  • ICT
  • Technology
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Health
  • Store
  • Contact Us
  • Two-wheel (single axle) tractors introduced to power agriculture in the highlands of Ethiopia

    June 19, 2015 Editor 0

    Learning from the experience of Asian countries such as Bangladesh, CIMMYT (the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center) and its partners are testing small, inexpensive, and easy to maintain two-wheel (single axle) tractors in the Ethiopian Highlands. The project is supported by the Africa RISING (Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation) project funded by USAID (United States Agency for International Development).

    Since the Growth and Transformation Plan was established by the Government of Ethiopia in 2011, tremendous progress has been made in the agricultural sector. Farmers have gained access to better seeds and adequate quantities of fertilizers. Yield have increased dramatically and improved connections between farmers and the market means higher income for farmers and more food available for urban and rural net food purchaser.

    Sustaining such an increase in agricultural output, however, will require a proportionate increase in farm power (to plant larger areas, handle larger volumes of inputs, harvest, thresh, and transport more crop, etc). As a response, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency developed a draft national mechanization strategy in 2014. The aim of the strategy is to increase the farm power available to Ethiopian farmers 10 folds (from the current 0.1 kW/hectare to 1 kW/hectare) by 2025, with at least half of this power derived from fuel and electric engines.

    Large tractors (with four wheels and two axles) are well suited to large-scale and medium-scale Ethiopian farmers. But these farmers only represent about 10% of the estimated 14.7 million farmers in the country. Is there any alternative to the maresha plough and hand tools for the majority of farmers in the country, to support the productivity of their farm and reduce their labour intensity?

    Two-wheel tractors appear better suited than four-wheel ones in the Highlands of Ethiopia, which are characterized by small and fragmented farms and hilly terrain. They are also very versatile and can be used for seeding, pumping water, threshing wheat, transporting loads of about one tone, and many more uses.

    Although two-wheel tractors and their attachments are relatively cheap (a two-wheel tractor costs about 28,000 ETB), it is evident that most Ethiopian farmers won’t be able to purchase them individually. Still, they could access mechanization services, delivered by dedicated well-trained service providers. This model – which has been adopted in Bangladesh where a single two-wheel tractor can service up to 30 farmers – is the model tested by CIMMYT and its partner in Debre Birhan, Lemo and Sinana woredas.

    From 1 to 5  June 2015, 6 service providers from Debre Birhan, Sinana and Lemo woredas are being trained in the operation and maintenance of the two-wheel tractor. They are also being trained in business, financial management and marketing.

    A demonstration will be organized on 4 June 2015 at ILRI Campus at 9h00. After the demonstration, there will be possibilities to interview project members, trainers, and trainees.

    More information

    Frédéric Baudron

    Cropping System Agronomist

    CIMMYT (International Maize & Wheat Improvement Center)

    f.baudron@cgiar.org


    Go to Source

    Related Posts

    • Multitasking Makes Managers Less ThoughtfulMultitasking Makes Managers Less Thoughtful
    • Knowledge transfer across dissimilar cultures
    • Innovative Agribusiness: A Closer Look at Three Top 50 Winners
    • Intellectual Capital Disclosures by Indian and Australian Information Technology Companies:  A Comparative AnalysisIntellectual Capital Disclosures by Indian and Australian Information Technology Companies: A Comparative Analysis
    • Cultivating Engagement In Innovation NetworksCultivating Engagement In Innovation Networks
    • Africa Analysis: Research topic trends are useful for AfricaAfrica Analysis: Research topic trends are useful for Africa
    Sovrn
    Share

    Categories: Agriculture

    Tags: tractors, Two-wheel

    Photovoltaic cells energy performance enhancement with down-converting photoluminescence phosphors Redistribution of income: an approach

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

Subscribe to our stories


 

Recent Posts

  • Entrepreneurial Alertness, Innovation Modes, And Business Models in Small- And Medium-Sized Enterprises December 30, 2021
  • The Strategic Role of Design in Driving Digital Innovation June 10, 2021
  • Correction to: Hybrid mosquitoes? Evidence from rural Tanzania on how local communities conceptualize and respond to modified mosquitoes as a tool for malaria control June 10, 2021
  • BRIEF FOCUS: Optimal spacing for groundnuts in smallholder farming systems June 9, 2021
  • COVID-19 pandemic: impacts on the achievements of Sustainable Development Goals in Africa June 9, 2021

Categories

Archives

Popular Post-All time

  • A review on biomass-based... 1k views
  • Apply Now: $500,000 for Y... 798 views
  • Can blockchain disrupt ge... 797 views
  • Test Your Value Propositi... 749 views
  • Prize-winning projects pr... 722 views

Recent Posts

  • Entrepreneurial Alertness, Innovation Modes, And Business Models in Small- And Medium-Sized Enterprises
  • The Strategic Role of Design in Driving Digital Innovation
  • Correction to: Hybrid mosquitoes? Evidence from rural Tanzania on how local communities conceptualize and respond to modified mosquitoes as a tool for malaria control
  • BRIEF FOCUS: Optimal spacing for groundnuts in smallholder farming systems
  • COVID-19 pandemic: impacts on the achievements of Sustainable Development Goals in Africa
  • Explicit knowledge networks and their relationship with productivity in SMEs
  • Intellectual property issues in artificial intelligence: specific reference to the service sector
  • Africa RISING publishes a livestock feed and forage production manual for Ethiopia
  • Transforming crop residues into a precious feed resource for small ruminants in northern Ghana
  • Photo report: West Africa project partners cap off 2020 with farmers field day events in Northern Ghana and Southern Mali

Tag Cloud

    africa African Agriculture Business Business model Business_Finance Company Crowdsourcing data Development East Africa economics Education Entrepreneur entrepreneurs Entrepreneurship ethiopia ghana Health_Medical_Pharma ict Information technology Innovation kenya knowledge Knowledge Management Leadership marketing mobile Mobile phone nigeria Open innovation Organization Research rwanda science Science and technology studies social enterprise social entrepreneurship south africa Strategic management strategy tanzania Technology Technology_Internet uganda

Categories

Archives

  • A review on biomass-based hydrogen production for renewable energy supply 1k views
  • Apply Now: $500,000 for Your Big Data Innovations in Agriculture 798 views
  • Can blockchain disrupt gender inequality? 797 views
  • Test Your Value Proposition: Supercharge Lean Startup and CustDev Principles 749 views
  • Prize-winning projects promote healthier eating, smarter crop investments 722 views

Copyright © 2005-2020 Innovation Africa Theme created by PWT. Powered by WordPress.org