Reflecting on the ongoing efforts to increase availability and access of farm power in Africa

7July 2022. The African Union Commission (AUC) and the FAO, through an Africa-wide consultative process, developed a Framework for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization in Africa (F-SAMA) that was launched in Rome on 5thOctober 2018. 

It aims to inform policy and decision-makers in the Member States, the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in Africa, and the wider development community dealing with agricultural development on the significance of mainstreaming SAM in the overall national and regional agricultural development programmes.

This virtual webinar targeted public and private stakeholders including but not limited to Directors and Heads of Agricultural Mechanization Services, Farmers Organizations, Private Sector, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Academia. This is the tenth Webinar in a series, and isorganized to provide an opportunity to create a participatory environment for the establishment of a regional implementation mechanism of F-SAMA. 

The Webinar provided a platform to reflecting on the ongoing efforts to increase availability and access of farm power in Africa. 

Updates on the efforts being made in spearheading mechanization as an important pillar for agricultural transformation in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Togo were provided. The Webinar presented some insights on how putting down concrete action plans is helping countries to attain their goals of developing and increasing the use of mechanization. 

Opening Remarks Permanent Secretary. Ministry of Agriculture, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 

Overview and objectives of the Webinar - Mark Fynn, FAO, Sub-regional Office for Southern Africa (SFS), Harare, Zimbabwe

Reflecting on the ongoing efforts to increase availability and access of farm power in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Togo: 

• Eng. Bereket Forsido, Director of Agricultural Mechanization, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

• Eng. Edwin Zimunga, Chief Director, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Mechanization and Soil Conservation (MLAFWRD), Government of Zimbabwe

• Eng. Daouda Salif, Director of Agricultural Mechanization, Government of Togo 

Related:

Adegbola Y.P., Zossou S.R.C., Adegbola C., Tossavi B., Fatunbi A.O. and Daum T. (2022).
Opportunities and Challenges for Local Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers: Insights from Benin Republic. FARA Research Report 6 (01): Pp 125

• Opportunities and Challenges for Local Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers: Insights from Benin Republic (DOWNLOAD)