Egerton University has initiated an initiative to encourage adoption of technology and mechanised farming among women and youth small holder farmers in a bid to improve production and quality of their produce.
The institution has announced that it was crafting public-private partnerships to encourage setting up of mechanisation hubs which will also link providers of mechanised farm services with female small holder farmers who do not have agricultural machinery.
Vice Chancellor Professor Isaac Kibwage has announced that the institution is collaborating with IROC Tractors and Agypro International to establish a local tractor assembly unit at Egerton University, which would facilitate the sale of tractor parts and fully assembled units to local farmers.
Professor Kibwage indicated that the move was aimed at giving youth and women farmers opportunities to embrace better mechanized food production to increase yields in addition to making farming attractive to the younger generation.
“We envision a situation where small holder youth and female farmers have access to subsidised mechanisation. This will help reduce over reliance on human labour which is not economical. Farmers will enjoy increased yields in their farm produce,” stated the Vice Chancellor.
Professor Kibwage indicated that the initiative aligns with BETA’s commitment to increasing agricultural productivity and expanding economic opportunities for grassroots communities. He added that by empowering youth and women in small-scale farming with access to mechanized farming techniques, Egerton University was working to bolster Kenya’s food security and stimulate rural economies through practical skill development.
The delegation from IROC Tractors and Agypro International was led by Jacylyn Schess, Mike Christensen (USA, Idaho Rupert), Emmanuel Juma (Country Manager, Agypro Kenya) and Bill Bough Miller (Agypro International).
Professor Kibwage noted that technological advancements have enabled manufacture of light and cheaper machines that can help women small holder farmers revolutionise agriculture both in terms of quantity and quality of products grown and processed.
He said the notion that mechanisation is only for those in large-scale farming was misguided and a threat to Kenya’s food security.
“The need to boost crop yields to feed Kenyans is becoming a priority. Technological advancements and innovations can help women small-scale farmers improve productivity thus making agriculture more profitable.
The University is seeking ways of enhancing food security through mechanized farming, irrigation, and use of quality seeds and appropriate fertilizers,” he further said.
Professor Kibwage noted that mechanised farming contributed to timely preparation of land, efficient land use and increased production. It also reduced the cost of production and created more employment opportunities particularly among the youth.
The Vice Chancellor said there was a need for traders and dealers in agricultural machinery to equip small holder farmers with technical know-how to operate and maintain the machinery through field days, workshops, farm visits and seminars to enable them become commercially successful.
The Don stated that they were encouraging dealers and manufacturers of farm machinery to ensure that their products targeting small scale farmers were built with simplicity of design, unsurpassed reliability, outstanding fuel economy and minimal maintenance requirements.
“We are encouraging dealers in farm equipment whose services should consist of genuine spare parts centres and nationwide mobile service coverage to set up shop in Nakuru. We are working with several institutions that will extend farmers financing to purchase modern equipment.
“Asset financing should be tailor-made to suit the abilities of both small holders and large-scale farmers. Since some new farmers lack experience with planters, tractors and implements, dealers are encouraged to put in place training as part of the package for new owners. This should entail showing buyers how to maximise the use of their machinery to boost their food production by using mechanisation,” said the Vice Chancellor.
Professor Kibwage emphasised the importance of the partnership in fostering innovation and offering practical solutions for agricultural mechanization.
He noted that the collaboration should culminate in the establishment of a local tractor assembly unit at Egerton University, which would facilitate the sale of tractor parts and fully assembled units to local farmers.
Director of Marketing and Resource Mobilisation Professor Nzula Kitaka, observed that mechanized farming improves harvesting of the crop, lowering costs, and reduces post-harvest losses by 20 percent with fewer damaged crops compared to manual harvest.
She added that Kenyan farmers are still shying away from modernisation due to lack of capital.
Professor Kitaka stated that the initiative aligns with the needs of farmers in the Mau Conservation Area of Kuresoi, where sustainable agriculture and efficient mechanisation are vital for productivity and conservation.
According to the World Bank report on Agribusiness Indicators, the degree of mechanisation in Kenya is about three tractors per 1,000 hectares or 26.9 tractors per 100 square kilometers.
The report indicates that despite the potential that mechanisation has in transforming agriculture by helping farmers to intensify their businesses, mechanisation levels remain very low in Kenya and across the continent.
In 2019, Africa Renewal reported that Africa had an average of about one to two tractors per every square kilometer compared to developed countries, where India had 128 tractors while Brazil registered 116 tractors both per square kilometer.
The World Bank attributed the low level to the fact that mechanization is capital intensive, requiring special financial products such as long-term capital, credits, or leasing arrangements, which is beyond small holder farmers and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
“Nevertheless, where the small holder farmers access mechanization, they are required to go an extra mile to maximise the potential of the agricultural machines which if not maximized, compromises repayment plans and becomes a threat to profitability of the machines,” the report said.
Professor Kitaka noted that the continent’s population is expected to double by 2050, meaning it will require enormous effort to feed the people.
She pointed out that its time the continent ditches the hoe in favour of modern technology, which will complete the same tasks far more efficiently adding that youthful Entrepreneurs can enter Kenya’s Agricultural Mechanization sector and make a great business of it.
“In Kenya there are only 2 tractors for every 2500 acres. Kenyan youth need to keep their eyes and innovative prowess around the agriculture sector. At the moment mechanisation levels on farms across Africa are very low, with the number of tractors in Sub-Saharan Africa ranging from 1.3 per square kilometer in Rwanda to 43 per square kilometres in South Africa, compared with 128 per square kilometres in India and 116 per square kilometres in Brazil,” explained the Don
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), a UN specialised agency that champions efforts to defeat hunger, Africa overall has less than two tractors per 1,000 hectares of cropland. There are 10 tractors per 1,000 hectares in South Asia and Latin America.
Professor Kitaka stated that without mechanised agriculture, productivity suffers drastically, lowering farmers’ earnings.
“The need to boost crop yields to feed Kenyans is becoming a priority. Technological advancements and innovations have helped small-scale farmers improve productivity thus making agriculture more profitable.
“The University is implementing ways of food nutrition and security which include mechanized farming, irrigation, and use of quality seeds and appropriate fertilizers,” she said.
In his remarks Mr Bill Bough Miller of Agypro International noted that mechanized farming contributed to timely preparation of land, efficient land use and increased production. It also reduced the cost of production and created more employment opportunities particularly among the youth
He said female small holder farmers need to be equipped with technical know-how to operate and maintain the machinery through field days, workshops, farm visits and seminars to enable them to become commercially successful.
Mr Miller added that the IROC tractor is currently being tested and calibrated by Egerton University engineers and engineering students to suit Kenya’s diverse topography, while ensuring it is user-friendly, affordable, easy to maintain, and suitable for both men and women farmers.
He noted that soil erosion and poor seed beds are common challenges witnessed in the county due to lack of skills in machine operation.
“We are encouraging dealers of farm equipment whose services should consist of genuine spare parts centres and nationwide mobile service coverage to set shop in Nakuru. We are encouraging several institutions to extend farmers with financing to purchase modern equipment,” he said
“Asset financing should be tailor-made to suit the abilities of both small holders and large scale farmers. Since some new farmers lack experience with planters, tractors and implements, dealers are encouraged to put in place training as part of the package for new owners. This should entail showing buyers how to maximize the use of their machinery to boost their food production by using mechanisation” added Mr Miller.
He further observed that small scale dairy farmers should embrace mechanized technology in making their own animal feeds translating to quality fodder which will not only increase milk production but also beef, mutton and the quality of hides and skins.
A 2023 report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation noted that women often occupy vulnerable roles within agriculture, working in informal, part-time, or low-skilled jobs.
This limits their ability to participate in the more profitable segments of the industry.
Mr Miller added that Kenyan farmers are still shying away from modernisation due to lack of capital.
Kenya’s low level of mechanisation is attributed to inadequate training, research and technology development, weak local manufacturing and distribution, insufficient agricultural mechanisation quality assurance, low level of investments in mechanization services, poor extension and technology adoption as well as weak institutional and legal framework.
Amid these challenges, the country is in great need of agricultural mechanization due to the decreasing availability of farm labour, lack of interest by the youth in farming activities, adverse climate change, and HIV and AIDS prevalence, a Draft Policy document notes.
Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest uptake of agricultural mechanisation in the world and is heavily dependent on manual labour. Several interventions have been made to address this to varying degrees of success.
Half a decade ago, many countries in the continent established public sector-operated machinery hire services to make it easy for smallholder farmers to get hold of these machines for optimal production.
Despite these efforts, farm power availability per area of agricultural land has declined or stagnated in many sub-Saharan African countries over the past decades, leading to increasing reliance on human muscle power, the Draft Agricultural Mechanisation Policy notes. The number of tractors in the region declined from 235,000 in 1970 to 222,000 in 2000. Africa and the Middle East have only three per cent of the global market of agricultural machinery by geographical area.
Research shows that Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania had more tractors than India 40 years ago. However, by 2005, India had a hundred times more tractors in use than the three East African countries combined.
In 1965, Kenya established Tractor Hire Service (THS), whose broad objectives were to open new land for wheat production, introduce modern farming practices, stimulate and encourage private ownership of farm tractors and machinery, and train the farming community on the general techniques for good seedbed preparation.
THS and Plant Hire Service (PHS) joined in 1981 to create Agricultural Mechanisation Services (AMS), whose stations are now operated by the county governments, offering services such as dam construction and de-silting, construction of farm access roads and soil conservation structures to farmers.
They are also keen on opening up new land to agriculture through bush clearing, ripping, and levelling.
By 2012, 78 plants and 115 farm tractors were available in 24 AMS stations countrywide. The numbers have increased since.
The country also has an Agricultural Machinery Testing Unit, Agricultural Technology Development Centres, Farm Equipment Use in Small Holder Agriculture Project, and has had many programmes geared towards making it very agriculturally productive.
A 2016 survey showed that the level of agricultural mechanisation varied across enterprises and operations along the value chains. Land preparation had the highest level across most enterprises, led by wheat at over 95 per cent.
Planting operation is only mechanised in a few crops such as maize at 56 per cent and wheat at 95 per cent.
The high labour-intensive weed control had low levels of mechanization across enterprises (maize at 46 per cent, and tea at 14 per cent), with the highest application of mechanical weed control occurring in wheat at over 95 per cent. Harvesting levels are low in most enterprises except for wheat at 98 per cent and paddy rice at 55 per cent.
By Jane Ngugi
