Smart farming solutions for Africa

Smart and affordable farming
solutions for Africa
The next driver for agricultural transformation
Josef Kienzle, Agricultural Engineer
Plant Production and Protection Division
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Smart and affordable farming solutions for Africa
Brussels, July 12, 2016
Content
• Context and trends
• SMART approaches to intensify agricultural
production
• The role of mechanization
• Conclusions

Current trends
By 2050, world population
will reach 9 billion
Declining annual crop
yield growth rates:
• 1960: 3.2%
• Current: 1.5%
• 2050: 0.8%
Urbanization
• Today: 50%
• 2050: 70%
Changing food habits
Undernourished people:
• over 795 million
• 75% in rural areas in
developing countries

Context: Climate Change

Region
Cereal Yield
[kg/ha]
Fertilizer Use
[kg/ha]
Irrigation
percentage of
arable land
Tractors per
1000 ha
Africa
(not including Egypt
and Mauritania)
1014 13 5 28
Average of 9
selected
countries
(Bangladesh, Brazil,
China, India, South-Korea,
Pakistan, Philippines,
Thailand, Vietnam)
3348 208 38 241
Source: The World Bank (2007) as cited by FAO and UNIDO (2008)
How Africa compares with
other developing Regions

Source: adapted from Clarke, FAO, 1997, FAO and UNIDO, 2008
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Central Western Eastern Southern
Hand
Draught Animals
Tractor
Power source usage in Africa [%]

Smallholders in Africa in 2016
Most of the smallholders are women

Smart System for smallholders
• Sustainable
• Mechanization and
• Adaptation through
• Resilient
• Techniques

The Green Revolution Paradigm
• Impact: Globally the
undernourished
population declined from
26% to 14% between
1969 and 2002
• Downside: Pollution,
reduced efficiency, loss of
soil health, and soil
erosion as unavoidable
side effects

an integrated approach to
sustainable production intensification
“more with less”
FAO’s response to the challenge

• Strengthen eco-systems and natural processes
• to boost production and environmental services
• to avoid waste and use inputs only as required by the system
• Focus on soil and ecosystem functions
Healthy soils are the basis
for sustainable crop production
Sustainable Intensification Paradigm

Rain
Run-off
Leaching
Soil Structure
Organic Matter
Soluble elements
of organic or synthetic origin
Tilled
(disturbed
soil)
Undisturbed soil
Destination of Rainwater
Water is retained
on site

Destination of Inputs
productive
productive
productive
leaching
leaching
leaching
run off
run off
run off
Actual
reduced Undisturbed soil
(Sustainable Intensification)

Conservation Agriculture (CA) is an approach to
manage agro-ecosystems for improved and
sustained productivity, increased profits and
food security while preserving and enhancing
the resource base and the environment.
CA is characterized by three linked principles:
1. Continuous minimum mechanical soil
disturbance
2. Permanent organic soil cover
3. Diversification of crop species grown in
sequences or associations
(www.fao.org/ag/ca)
Climate resilient (smart) systems

Conservation Agriculture
Mechanical Tillage
Biological Tillage
Action of Soil Biota
Structure/Porosity
ConventionalAgriculture
High Soil
Organic
Matter
Low Soil
Organic Matter
Soil Organic Matter = Drought Resistance

The suppression of tillage /
ploughing reduces power
requirements by 50% allowing the
use of smaller machines
F. Baudron; CIMMYT

Development precision equipment
in southern Africa
Sprayer, Dragon Engng (SA)
Piket DAP planter (SA)
Baufi 2-row ripper (Namibia)

Mechanization myths:
past and present
• Creates rural unemployment
• Leads to monoculture and industrial farming
• It is only for large scale-farmers
• It is only about large manufacturing
companies
• It is only about the public sector
• It does not conserve natural resources
and is not climate smart

Small-scale farmers and mechanization
• Increases productivity, timeliness and incomes
• Reduces drudgery
• Enables improved resource use efficiency
• Provides employment opportunities and new skills
development
• Has the potential to reverse migration
• Conserves natural resources
• Enables gender transition
• Provides opportunities for rural entrepreneurial activities
and business models
• Encourages local manufacturing and south-south
cooperation

Mechanization potential
Productivity
Time efficiency

Challenges to mechanization
• Affordability
• Availability and traceability (accountability)
• Lack of farmer skills
• Poor extension support
• Few appropriate financial services
• Environmental protection and pro-poor sustainability
• Public-private partnerships
• Lack of clear strategies and policies for mechanization
at regional and country level
• Poor rural infrastructure
• Rural youth has no interest in farming with ‘0’
innovations

• Using GPS and mobile phone technology to
mark farmers’ fields
• Using up to 8 geo markers for characterizing a
farmer’s field
The 8 points

• Online tracking of
provision of
mechanization service
• Payment to service
provider by E-voucher
• Establishment of
farmer profiles allow
for stepwise approach
to subsidized services
The area quadrants 5x5 m covered 36 out of 300

Sustainable mechanization:
Entry points
• Vision
• Partnerships
• Strategies
• Systems
Tractor and
machinery suppliers
Technical support
and parts
Finance provisionTechnical trainingExtension services
Maintenance and
repair services
Stakeholders in the farm machinery support network for smallholder farmers
Service Providers
and
Farmers

512050 512100 512150 512200 512250 512300
214300
214350
214400
214450
214500
0.02 to 0.25
0.25 to 0.31
0.31 to 0.37
0.37 to 0.43
0.43 to 0.50
0.50 to 0.71
Vegetative Indices. Showing weed patches
Field mapping and precision N
and herbicide application
• Crop reflectance
meters with GPS can
be used to map field
requirements
• Precision applications
result in more efficient
fertilizer use
• Weed seeker
technology for
selective spot spraying

• Intensive soil tillage is not SMART
• There are climate smart mechanization
technologies available to all farm sizes
• Reduced tillage and direct seeding systems
are SMART precision farming tools
• There is a need for SMART mechanization
services
• Monitoring of mechanization services is key
and GPS and mobile phone technologies
provide technology for it (that is smart!)
• There is a need to get increased
commitment from private and public sector
stakeholders for sustainable (SMART)
intensification
Conclusions

2. Reinforce
human capacity-
building
4. Provide
financial support
to enhance
investment in AM
3. Improve business
and enabling policy
environment and
make us of ICT and
GPS technology
1. Promote
environmental
sustainability
with SMART
innovations and
precision farming
for smallholders
Conclusions

Thank you
Josef Kienzle (Josef.Kienzle@fao.org)
Agricultural Engineer
Plant Production and Protection Division
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Smart farming solutions for Africa

Recomendados

Recomendados

Mais conteúdo relacionado

Mais procurados

Mais procurados (20)

Semelhante a Smart farming solutions for Africa

Semelhante a Smart farming solutions for Africa (20)

Mais de Brussels Briefings (brusselsbriefings.net)

Mais de Brussels Briefings (brusselsbriefings.net) (20)

Último

Último (20)

Smart farming solutions for Africa