WEBINAR: An evolving paradigm of agricultural mechanization development: How much can Africa learn from Asia?

9 February 2021. Agricultural mechanization in Africa south of the Sahara — especially for small farms and businesses — requires a new paradigm to meet the needs of the continent’s evolving farming systems. Can Asia, with its recent success in adopting mechanization, offer a model for Africa? 

The authors explore crucial government roles in boosting and supporting mechanization, from import policies to promotion policies to public good policies. Potential approaches presented to facilitating mechanization in Africa include prioritizing market-led hiring services, eliminating distortions, and developing appropriate technologies for the African context. The role of agricultural mechanization within overall agricultural and rural transformation strategies in Africa is also discussed.

• Xinshen Diao, Deputy Division Director, Development Strategy and Governance Division, IFPRI
• Hiroyuki Takeshima, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI
• Xiaobo Zhang, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI and Chair Professor, National School of Development, Peking University
• Geoffrey C. Mrema, Professor, Department of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Sokoine University of Agriculture
• Thomas Daum, Research fellow, Institute of Agricultural Science in the Tropics, University of Hohenheim
• Moderator - Katarlah Taylor, Events Manager, IFPRI

IFPRI (2020) An Evolving Paradigm of Agricultural Mechanization Development 548 p.

• Synopsis [download] (4 pages)
• This book analyzes the experiences of eight Asian and five African countries. The authors explore crucial government roles in boosting and supporting mechanization, from import policies to promotion policies to public good policies.
• Potential approaches presented to facilitating mechanization in Africa include prioritizing market-led hiring services, eliminating distortions, and developing appropriate technologies for the African context. 
• The role of agricultural mechanization within overall agricultural and rural transformation strategies in Africa is also discussed. 
• The book’s recommendations and insights should be useful to national policymakers and the development community, who can adapt this knowledge to local contexts and use it as a foundation for further research.

Part 1: Synthesis of the Lessons

• Chapter 1 An Evolving Paradigm for Africa and Synthesis of the Lessons from Asia [download]

Part 2: Early-Adopter Asian Countries

• Chapter 2 Mechanization Outsourcing Clusters and Division of Labor in Chinese Agriculture [download]
• Chapter 3 Farm Machinery Use and the Agricultural Machinery Industries in India : Status, Evolution, Implications, and Lessons Learned [download]
• Chapter 4 The Evolution of Agricultural Mechanization in Sri Lanka [download]
• Chapter 5 Evolution of Agricultural Mechanization in Thailand [download]
• Chapter 6 Evolution of Agricultural Mechanization in Viet Nam [download]

Part 3: Late-Adopter Asian Countries

• Chapter 7 Evolution of Agricultural Mechanization in Bangladesh: The Case of Tractors for Land Preparation [download]
• Chapter 8 Myanmar’s Rapid Agricultural Mechanization: Demand and Supply Evidence [download]
• Chapter 9 Evolution of Agricultural Mechanization in Nepal [download]
• Part 4: African Countries
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• Chapter 10 The Rapid—but from a Low Base—Uptake of Agricultural Mechanization in Ethiopia: Patterns, Implications, and Challenges [download]
• Chapter 11 Agricultural Mechanization in Ghana: Alternative Supply Models for Tractor Hiring Services [download]
• Chapter 12 Evolution of Agricultural Mechanization in Kenya [download]
• Chapter 13 Evolution of Agricultural Mechanization in Nigeria [download]
• Chapter 14 Agricultural Mechanization in Tanzania [download]