May 3, 2017

Webinar 1

The International Institute of Tropical

Agriculture (IITA) is a non-profit institution

that generates agricultural innovations to

meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of

hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural

resource degradation. Working with various

partners across sub-Saharan Africa, IITA

improves livelihoods, enhances food and

nutrition security, increases employment,

and preserves natural resource integrity.

Compatible Technology International (CTI)

is a non-profit that designs and distributes

innovative tools that help families in the

developing world rise above hunger and

poverty. CTI’s technologies and programs

provide sustainable pathways out of hunger

and poverty.

Improving Mechanization for African Smallholder FarmersPart one of a three part webinar series

June 6, 2017

Webinar 2

The Malawi Oilseed Sector Transformation

(MOST) program aims to increase the incomes

women and men working in Malawi’s cotton,

groundnut, soybean and sunflower markets.

MOST’s portfolio of interventions focuses on

facilitating improved access to farm inputs and

improved access to agronomic information.

MOST is also expanding rural value addition

opportunities by promoting access to

threshing, shelling and processing of oilseeds.

The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Soybean

Value Chain Research (Soybean Innovation Lab,

SIL) is building a foundation for soybean

production in Africa by developing the knowledge,

innovation, and technologies to enable successful

soybean production. SIL’s mechanization program

focuses on training local artisans, building

collaborations with universities and government

workshops to scale-up design, testing and

production, and developing programs that address

access to mechanization by female farmers.

July 6, 2017

Webinar 3

Imara Tech is a new start-up operating in

Tanzania that produces agricultural

machinery, with a multi-crop thresher (MCT)

being the first product. As part of its

distributed manufacturing model, Imara Tech

establishes workshops in major agricultural

regions to assemble, service, and repair

machines and to also headquarter regional

sales teams. Elliot Avila is CEO and an MIT

graduate in MechE. Imara focuses on

entrepreneurial villagers who operate the

MCT as a service business in their

community.

David Wilson and Dr. John Lumkes from

the Purdue Agricultural and Biological

Engineering department researched,

designed and tested a multi-crop thresher

for use in SSA. Thresher fabrication

training is also offered.

Improving Mechanization for

African Smallholder FarmersPart one of a three part webinar series

• Agricultural innovation and mechanization in

Africa lags behind other continents (UN-FAO)

• Machinery is a key agricultural input and market

enabler

• Constraints in SSA include:

• Affordability

• Availability

• Lack of farmer skills

• Private sector constraints

• Gender issues

1. Higher farm incomes

2. More savings

3. Higher demand for

mechanization

4. Higher productivity

3. Higher demand for

mechanization

5. Higher levels of supply of

mechanization

6. Low capital costs of

mechanization

7. Lower operating cost

of mechanization

Cycles resulting from sustainable crop production

intensification (UN-FAO)

Higher farm incomes:

• Investment in rural

development

• Establish social

protection systems

• Building urban-rural

linkages

• Enhanced land

husbandry methods

• Sustainable

commercialization of

farm products

The groups in this webinar series are trying to bring about change in a

variety of ways, including recognizing the importance of mechanization in

intensifying agricultural production

• Developing new sources of farm machinery more suitable for African

conditions

• Environmentally sustainable mechanization

• We are starting with threshers because field prep and planting

mechanization will take longer to match up to conservation

agriculture research

• Threshers eventually need to address issues of organic matter

retention

• Sustainable business models (including gender equity)

• Public-private partnerships

• In-country capacity development

In addition to the organized efforts at mechanization represented at this

webinar series, there are also efforts at other NGOs, governmental

workshops and academic institutions across SSA.

Getting designs and prototypes into the hands of users seems to be a

major problem, largely due to low farm income and lack of available

financing.

Kwame Nkrumah Institute of Science and Technology, Kumasi Ghana

Gratis Foundation, Bolgatonga, Ghana

Tamale Implement Factory, Tamale, Ghana

There is also a large collective of local artisans/welders who are working in agricultural

mechanization. Most production is on commission and done on a small order basis

Many of these designs are ‘reverse engineered’

from locally available imports and availability of

materials can be limiting.

Sometimes a

copied design is

missing an

integral design

factor.

May 3, 2017 Webinar 1

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a non-profit institution that

generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of

hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. Working with various

partners across sub-Saharan Africa, IITA improves livelihoods, enhances food and

nutrition security, increases employment, and preserves natural resource integrity.

Compatible Technology International (CTI) is a non-profit that designs and distributes

innovative tools that help families in the developing world rise above hunger and poverty.

CTI’s technologies and programs provide sustainable pathways out of hunger and poverty.

June 6, 2017 Webinar 2

The Malawi Oilseed Sector Transformation (MOST) program aims to increase the incomes of 60,000 poor

women and men working in Malawi’s cotton, groundnut, soybean and sunflower markets. MOST seeks to have

a transformational impact by supporting changes in the market system that fundamentally alter the way

business is done to ensure greater benefits for the poor. MOST’s portfolio of interventions focuses on

facilitating improved access to farm inputs, including better quality seed and pesticides; and improved access

to agronomic information. MOST is also expanding rural value addition opportunities, by promoting access to

threshing, shelling and processing of oilseeds; and developing marketing and distribution systems in farm input

and crop output markets.

The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Soybean Value Chain Research (Soybean Innovation Lab, SIL) is

building a foundation for soybean production in Africa by developing the knowledge, innovation, and

technologies to enable successful soybean production. SIL works to reduce global poverty and hunger by

accelerating growth in the agriculture sector through improvements in agricultural productivity among

smallholder farmers. SIL’s mechanization program focuses on training local artisans, building collaborations

with universities and government workshops to scale-up design, testing and production, and developing

programs that address access to mechanization by female farmers.

July 6, 2017 Webinar 3

Imara Tech is a new start-up operating in Tanzania that produces agricultural machinery, with a

multi-crop thresher (MCT) being the first product. As part of its distributed manufacturing model,

Imara Tech establishes workshops in major agricultural regions to assemble, service, and repair

machines and to also headquarter regional sales teams. Elliot Avila is CEO and an MIT

graduate in MechE who loves taking ideas with high-impact potential and helping them thrive.

Imara focuses on entrepreneurial villagers who operate the MCT as a service business in their

community by ferrying the machine around on the back of a motorcycle and threshing

neighboring farmers’ crops. With this new source of income, the operator can earn up to ~$14

USD per hour.

David Wilson and Dr. John Lumkes from the Purdue Agricultural and Biological Engineering

department researched, designed and tested a multi-crop thresher for use in SSA. Thresher

fabrication training is also offered.

Participants who are engaged in mechanization programs and who would like to present in this webinar series should contact:

Kerry ClarkSoybean Innovation Lab

clarkk@Missouri.eduhttp://soybeaninnovationlab.illinois.edu/

The Soybean Innovation Lab is also developing a ‘Mechanization Network’ where groups and individuals working on agricultural technology can interact and share ideas and designs.We hope to improve the visibility of groups working in mechanization to foster improved collaboration between technology providers and users.Please contact Kerry to be added to the network.