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Charles Dhewa

Mechanisation is becoming a critical part of agricultural transformation in Zimbabwe. While policy makers see the potential of irrigation schemes and big dams like Kunzvi and Tokwe-Mukosi, the majority of smallholder farmers are keen to use their local water bodies such as wells, weirs and rivers.

 

That is why the past few years have seen an increase in the number of farmers buying small petrol pumps and engines. As a result, there has been an increase in the supply of horticultural commodities and green mealies in the market.

Where are our agricultural

engineers?

Although mechanisation has been part of Zimbabwean agriculture for decades, the level of knowledge and diversity of local machinery inventions have not matched demand. Consequently, the majority of farmers continue resorting to cattle for draught power in planting and harvesting crops.

Agricultural engineering continues to lag behind the needs of diverse categories of farmers. There is a strong view among agricultural researchers that 20 percent of smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe are now ready to become sustainable commercial farmers. That means they require reliable mechanization.

Before Independence, tractors were manufactured locally for the local context. Over the past decades, Zimbabwe has been fortunate to receive agricultural technology from all parts of the world — West, East, North and South. Chinese and Indian technology has gained a foothold in small and medium scale farmers while hi-tech technology such as centre-pivot irrigation systems have dominated large scale farming including in parastatals such as Arda.

A wide range of agricultural technological choices should have prompted local engineers to adapt most of this technology through mixing and matching appropriate elements.

An important starting point in the mechanisation imperative is conducting an inventory of all agricultural technologies in the country. Many tractors, water pumps, irrigation systems and other technologies are redundant in most farming areas yet smart engineering initiatives could see these technologies being evaluated for efficacy, reconditioned and re-purposed. Some could become a source of spare parts for new technologies.

Diversifying options through mechanisation

Many smallholder farmers have mastered what it takes to succeed. Mechanisation will certainly take them to the next level by broadening their livelihood choices. Using cattle for draught power and cans for irrigation can go so far.

Maximum exploitation of resources now requires various levels of mechanisation. There is an opportunity for local agricultural engineers to work with Chinese companies and produce different sizes of tractors that suit different categories of farmers.

The smallest Chinese tractor costs around $500 — equivalent to the value of a cow or steer.

It is through mechanisation that agriculture can be seamlessly linked with industrialisation. Local formal agricultural equipment manufacturing companies are dying partly because their equipment is unaffordable to the majority of farmers.

What is the point of producing equipment which the market cannot afford? There is no reason why we cannot adapt Chinese technology to our context. The Chinese believe in small scale farming because their majority of farmers are small scale.

Their big scale farming operations are parastatals. In fact, small scale is becoming a modern fashion across the globe as revealed by the Japanese model of industrialisation where, for instance, Toyota does the design of cars but sub-contracts other activities to small actors.

The same model can be used in supporting agricultural mechanisation through investing in technology that is appropriate for smallholder farmers. Government should realise the importance of supporting both the small and big farmers.

Technology can easily co-exist with animal draught power. Some farmers need a tractor for two weeks the whole year.

Technology spillover

A strong focus on mechanisation will fuel technological spillovers along entire agricultural value chains. Currently, local production of fertiliser is also being affected by lack of mechanisation. Due to old technology being used to produce fertiliser, locally produced fertiliser end up being too expensive for the majority of farmers.

Ideally, farmers should be able to buy all their inputs including fertiliser. Government support can only be a form of subsidy. With good fertiliser and good management knowledge we could double our maize production through smallholder farmers.

Some of the challenges and proposed solutions along agricultural value chains

At the moment, many farm managers are good with crops and animals but lack skills in farm management (managing time, labour and other resources). This stems from the colonial agricultural education system where students were taught to be good with crops and livestock but managerial knowledge was a preserve of the farm owner.

Farm managers educated at Chibero and Gwebi Agricultural Colleges could do all the pieces of work on the farm but the system does not enable them to get the entire picture.

For the next 20 years, agriculture is going to remain the biggest contributor to GDP in Zimbabwe.

While we have the right farmers and enabling climate, technology remains the missing link in boosting our capacity to double agricultural output.

On the other hand, the past few years have seen local seed companies being bought by big foreign companies. It means the country is losing generations of technologies and knowledge that have gone into building those companies. We have to wake up to these challenges including the following:

Challenges faced by farmers

Production

Uncoordinated technical support from NGOs, Private sector (contracting companies), Government and local expertise.

Proposed Solution: Organise district/provincial seasonal technical support planning workshops and allocate responsibilities to avoid duplication.

Access to capital mainly from financial institutions (Banks).

Proposed Solution: Introduce Community Credit Guarantee Scheme.

Introduce Warehouse Receipt System — Farmers’ Commodities are warehoused and used as collateral. Loans are repaid upon sale of commodities when prices are at peak.

Inputs

Late distribution of inputs (donated)

Proposed Solution: Government and donors to plan in line with farmers’ agricultural season.

Any donations that miss a particular season should wait for the next because if distributed late, they distort the market for private input suppliers and agro-dealers as these inputs find their way on the black market.

Distribution of inputs not suitable for particular regions — one-size-fits-all.

Proposed Solution: Regions to present their specifications and requirements for inputs suitable for their respective communities.

Shortages of inputs especially top dressing fertilisers.

Proposed Solution: Government to establish Input Revolving Fund for manufacturers.

High cost of inputs

Proposed Solution: Warehouse Receipt System to be used to access input loans. Farmers’ commodities can be warehoused enabling them to obtain input loans that can be repaid upon selling of their warehoused produce when prices are at peak.

Communities with the support of the Government/banks to establish input credit guarantee schemes.

Persuasive advertising by input suppliers which in most cases misleads farmers.

Proposed Solution: Need for the right messages and right messengers. Government authorities should sensor input suppliers — adverts to ensure what is being advertised of the input is the truth about its performance for specific areas and times of the season.

Lack of draught power

Proposed Solution: NGOs to be encouraged to reallocate resources from food aid to supporting poor families with draught power.

Engage banks and manufacturers of agriculture equipment to support A1 & A2 farmers through Community & Government Credit Guarantee Schemes.

Lack of irrigation equipment

Proposed Solution: Involve private players to rehabilitate or establish irrigation schemes under Build-Operate-Transfer Model.

Size of farming area

Proposed Solution: Avail some state lands for plots rentals especially for urban dwellers who might not want to own land but interested in full time farming.

Post Harvest

Preservation facilities of horticultural produce.

Proposed Solution: Engage private players with the support of banks to establish warehouses and cooling houses.

Lack of standard guides and grading systems.

Proposed Solution: Develop local and demand driven standards for various commodities as opposed to too much focus on European standards which don’t satisfy everyone.

Marketing

Lack of market intelligence on performance and projections. Much of the available information is not useful for decision making.

Proposed Solution: Support private players working with the markets to gather, process and disseminate market intelligence not just information which is too general.

Mismatch between farmers’ produce standards and market expectations.

Proposed Solution: Work with private players to develop particular local markets standards and guides.

High Transport costs

Proposed Solution: Support private players with commodity trade finance to move commodities from producing areas to the markets.

Establish rural farmers’ markets or holding centres.

Unreliable transport services

Poor packaging and handling

High food and accommodation costs

Lack of Negotiating power

Proposed Solution: Build the capacity of farmers to fully know their agribusinesses and provide them with options so that they don’t depend on a few buyers.

Pre-determined prices eg by Government and contracting companies

Proposed Solution: Establish poll opinion surveys before the marketing of a particular crop.

Competition

Imports

Proposed Solution: Ensure imports are based on local demand and work with Zimra to achieve this goal so that imports are not just allowed in. Our borders are currently too porous.

Donated food stuffs

Proposed Solution: Donors should buy food for donations from local farmers rather than bringing bulgur from foreign countries.

Local commodities produced in abundance.

Proposed Solution: Demand-driven feedback from the market.

Poor markets infrastructure Proposed Solution: Government, private sector and local authorities to invest in building local infrastructure.

There is no reason why NSSA and Old Mutual should focus on constructing office complexes while ignoring markets where food is handled daily. This could be done under a Build–Operate-Transfer Model.

Lack of promotion of locally produced commodities

Proposed Solution: Locally produced commodities should be promoted as a national priority. Our media and policy makers should take the lead.

Processing

Lack of technical know-how

Lack of capital

Failure to meet standards required by processors

Proposed Solution: Support private players to share their expertise and promote value addition. Private players are more enterprising and are not afraid of risks.

Charles Dhewa is a proactive knowledge management specialist and chief executive officer of Knowledge Transfer Africa (Pvt) (www.knowledgetransafrica.com ) whose flagship eMKambo (www.emkambo.co.zw ) has a presence in more than 20 agricultural markets in Zimbabwe. He can be contacted on: [email protected] ; Mobile: +263 774 430 309 / 772 137 717/ 712 737 430.