"The Prospect for Introducing Mechanical Threshing Technology in Smallholder Agriculture: The Case of Ethiopia ", presented by Girma Moges and Dawit Alemu at at NSD/IFPRI workshop on "Mechanization and Agricultural Transformation in Asia and Africa", June 18-19, 2014, Beijing, China
The Prospect for Introducing Mechanical Threshing Technology in Smallholder Agriculture: The Case of Ethiopia
1. The Prospect for Introducing Mechanical
Threshing Technology in Smallholder Agriculture:
The Case of Ethiopia
Girma Moges and Dawit Alemu
Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research
Addis Ababa
MECHANIZATION AND AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION IN ASIA AND AFRICA
Sharing Development Experiences
June 18-19, 2014
Beijing | China 1
2. Contents
Introduction
Historical counts of R&D in agricultural mechanization and threshing
Sources of threshing technologies
Inventory of existing threshing technologies
Stakeholder analysis
Access and use of agricultural threshing technologies by smallholder
farmers
Challenges in promoting threshing technologies for smallholder
farmers
Opportunities
Conclusions and recommendations
2
3. Introduction
Ethiopia - economy strongly dominated by
agriculture
◦ share of 41% percent of GDP
◦ highest (85%) contribution to foreign
exchange earnings
◦ more than 50 percent of raw materials to
industries
Subsistence nature
◦ traditional farming implements and
practices.
◦ hand-tools and thousands-year old tillage
implements
Human & animal power
Land preparation and sawing is
dominantly operated by oxen plow.
Harvesting is merely done traditionally
using sickle
Threshing is done by animal threading
and manual beating/rubbing.
The working conditions are appalling,
back breaking and time consuming
3
4. Cont…
Agricultural mechanization – one of the pillars of agricultural
transformation in the country
MoA re-established Agricultural mechanization directorate in 2013
Improved attention to farm mechanization research both at
federal and regional level
Priority of adaptation of farm mechanization technologies from
abroad
There is important role of private actors in promoting farm
mechanization
◦ Commercial farms (domestic and foreign)
◦ Private farm machinery importers
◦ Small-scale workshops that multiply small-scale farm tools and
4
5. Objectives
• To document the challenges and prospects of
promoting agricultural threshing technologies for
increased productivity and quality of agricultural
commodities in the country
The
general
objectiv
e
• To ddocument available agricultural threshing
technologies and the existing gaps
• To identify and analyze the gaps in sourcing,
manufacturing and delivery of threshing
technologies;
• To identify the institutional and policy conditions
that are required to foster multiplication, adoption
and diffusion of mechanized threshing
technologies in smallholder agriculture
The
specific
objectives
5
6. Historical overview of agricultural mechanization
and threshing technologies
Different R&D initiatives
◦ The agricultural engineering educational program
at the former Alemaya College of Agriculture was
the start of recognizing the need for agricultural
mechanization through producing qualified experts
◦ It was in 1976 the Agricultural Engineering
Department of the then IAR started to carry out
development and testing of farm tools and
equipment appropriate for agricultural conditions in
Ethiopia
◦ Linked with commercial farming initially through
private farms since 50s and later through state
farms since 70s, modern agricultural machineries
have been imported
6
7. Cont…
The first initiative in introducing threshing technology was the wheat and
barley thresher introduced by Arsi Rural Development Project (ARDP).
1985-1989 the former Bako Rural technology promotion center designed
and developed P.T.O. and engine (12hp) with the shelling capacity of 50-60
qt/hr
In late 80s, the AIRIC of EIAR redesigned and developed the ARDU non-
cleaning barley and wheat thresher into cleaning type multi-crop thresher
keeping the basic mode of operation of the original ARDU developed.
AIRIC also tested and evaluated four different threshes
◦ IAR non-cleaning thresher
◦ Chinese thresher
◦ Assela maize sheller and IITA thresher on maize
Bako Rural Technology Research Center modified and evaluated the IAR
hand operated maize sheller by redesigning the flywheel and concave arc
length and clearance
Recently AIRIC is doing research to improve votex thresher, Bako thresher
and IITA thresher to improve their capacity and threshing efficiency and
also to address different crops.
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8. Sources of threshing technologies
There are two major types of
threshing technologies
developed/adapted and
multiplied locally
The main source of locally developed
threshing technologies
farm mechanization
research program of EIAR
the different
mechanization research
at regional level
Oromoiya Amhara Tigray
private workshops to
some extent.
directly imported
for direct use.
8
9. Inventory of existing threshing
technologies
Thresher
•Hand maize sheller
Source
• Bako Rural
Technology center and
EIAR
Capacity
• 100 kg/hr
Price
• 200 - 400
9
20. Stakeholder analysis
The key
stakeholders can
be categories using
different criteria.
origin of fabrication
there are two
types.
those that design,
test and multiply
locally
those that import
ready made
threshers.
ownership
public
private
20
21. The main actors
Agricultural mechanization
research program of the
EIAR
Regional mechanization
research
Tigray, Amahra Oromiya, Sodo rural
technology centers, and universities.
They undertake
improvement activities
based on imported
prototypes
design new prototype,
and test
multiply for
demonstration
provide training on
fabrication/multiplicatio
n and utilization of
adapted threshers to
different customers.
The main customers
private workshop owners
Cooperatives
Commercial farmers
small holder farmers
some public and NGO
supported projects and
programs involved in
thresher technology
promotion.
Stakeholders related with Research and multiplication
21
22. Cont…
Academic institution with agricultural engineering training program
◦ The pioneer of agricultural engineering education in the country is the
Department of Agricultural Engineering at Haramaya university
◦ The then Awassa college of agriculture has been also involved in
generating agricultural engineers for more than three decade.
◦ Currently, other universities have opened agricultural engineering
related programs like Ambo and Adama universities. With the
expected increased commercialization and mechanization of the
Ethiopian agriculture, the role these academic institutions in making
available well educated experts will be critical.
Most of these universities have the basic manufacturing
workshop and qualified staff to produce small scale agricultural
machinery and equipment
However, they do not have strong working relationship with other
universities and research institutes
Also most have poor linkages with fabricators and end users as
well
22
23. Cont…
Private Metal workshops
Linked with the public promotion of small and
micro-enterprises, a number of private metal
workshops have been established all over the
country
Among these workshops, some have
upgraded themselves into PLCs with the
capacity of multiplication/fabrication of different
agricultural machineries and tools
Many of the available threshers are currently
multiplied by private workshops and made
available to users
23
24. Cont…
NGOs engaged with threshing technology promotion
◦ SG2000 have been heavily involved in introduction and promotion of post harvest
technologies in general and threshers in particular along with its extension program in
promoting different agricultural technologies.
◦ Selam Technical & Vocational Center (STVC) is an extension of Selam Children’s Village
involved multiplication of different machineries including agricultural implements including
threshing machine like maize shellers, multi-crop thresher and rice and other grain polishers.
Thresher importers/dealers
◦ They are involved in importation of known brands of agricultural machinery like John Deere,
CLAAS, New Holland, and Massey Ferguson.
Kaleb Engineering, Moenco, Ries Engineering, and Gedeb Engineering.
The main customers are cooperative unions, primary cooperatives and commercial farms.
Some of the examples are combine harvesters/threshers for wheat.
Threshing service providers
◦ These are private operators who own sheller/thresher and provide service to smallholder farmers.
This practice is common for wheat, maize and rice in the major growing areas.
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25. Access and use of agricultural threshing
technologies by smallholder farmers
The access to and use of threshing technologies by smallholder
farmers is highly associated
◦ threshing service providers
◦ crop types
The main crops with better access are maize, wheat and rice
There is better access and use in areas like Bale, Arsi, East
Shewa and Wolega zones of Oromiya where there are service
providers
The threshing service cost varies by crop type:
15 to 20 birr per quintal for maize
65 birr per quintal for wheat (harvesting and threshing)
25 birr for rice.
These prices are considered to be very high due to the limited
access
This indicates the existence of huge business opportunity for
such services. 25
26. Challenges in promoting threshing technologies for
smallholder farmers
Challenges in threshing technology generation
and development
◦ Limited emphasis given to agricultural mechanization research
◦ Lack of coordination
◦ Limited research facilities and manpower
◦ Weakness in the curriculum of universities and colleges in
agricultural engineering
Challenges in threshing technology multiplication
due to limited capacity
Challenges in threshing technology delivery
System
Institutional challenges
26
27. Cont…
Challenges in threshing technology
multiplication due to limited
capacity
Challenges in threshing technology
delivery System
Institutional challenges
27
28. Opportunities
There is an increasing demand for farm mechanization in
general and threshing technologies in particular;
There is a willingness and capability among fabricators to copy
threshers that have a proven record of technical and financial
success
Increased availability of trained manpower in the labor market in
farm mechanization
The relationship between local fabricators and farmers is
improving. This provides a good opportunity for wide distribution
of technologies and maximum chance of feedback to improve
designs
A conducive policy environment for private operators in
fabrication and distribution of threshing technologies
The emergence of private threshing service providers, which
expected to boost the adoption of these technologies
Emerging altitudinal change by policy makers towards
mechanization research and development
Improved rural infrastructure such as electricity and road
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29. Conclusions and recommendations
Importance of agricultural mechanization well
recognized
The adoption levels of the different threshing
technologies is still low, indicating the huge gap in
boosting production and productivity through better use
of available technologies
Increasing role of private sector
Need to increase the R&D investment in the sector
Need to formulate a clear farm mechanization strategy
to guide the R&D
30. Cont…
In order to fully utilize the existing opportunities from use of
threshing technologies, the key challenges identified need to
be addressed.
◦ Creation of accountable institutional setup for agricultural
mechanization
◦ Strengthening the national agricultural mechanization research
◦ Strengthen the network/linkage between technology generation
institutes, manufacturers, MoA and farmers
◦ Strengthening the threshing technology delivery mechanism
◦ Promotion of private based threshing service provision
◦ Financial assistance
financial assistance in the form of subsidy and provision of credit to the
farmers for the purchase of threshing technology, reduction/exemption the
technology should be in place.
◦ Training
Provide continuous in-service training for development agents (DAs),
subject matter specialist, artisans and other entrepreneurs to improve their
understanding of the different threshing technologies to avail the
technologies to farmers and smooth the process of technology delivery.
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