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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 AFRICASharing Development Experiences
June 18-19, 2014 Beijing | China
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ContentsIntroduction
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
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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
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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 instruments
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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 objective
• 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
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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
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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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Sources of threshing technologiesThere are two major types of threshing
technologies
developed/adapted and multiplied locally
The main source of locally developed
threshing technologies
farm mechanizat
ion research
program of EIAR
the different mechanization research at regional
level
Oromoiya
Amhara
Tigray
private workshops to some extent.
directly imported for direct use.
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Inventory of existing threshing technologies
Thresher•Hand maize sheller
Source• Bako Rural Technology center and
EIAR
Capacity• 100 kg/hr
Price • 200 - 400
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Cont….
Thresher •Manually Operated maize sheller
Source • EIAR and Bako
Capacity • 600 kg - 1000 kg/hr
Price • 3000 - 4000
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Cont….
Thresher•Engine operated and P.T.O. operated maize sheller
Source• Bako
Capacity • 5000 – 6000 kg/ha
Price • 40000
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Cont….
Thresher •AIRIC - Bako modified Maize sheller
Source • EIAR
Capacity • up to 70 Qt/hr
Price • 35,000 to 42,000 ETB
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Cont….
Thresher•Manually (pedal) Operated Maize Sheller
Source • EIAR
Capacity • 1240 kg/hrhr
Price • 3,000 - 4,000
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Cont….
Thresher •Asella multi-crop thresher
Source • Assela Rural Technology
Capacity
• 300 - 500 kg/hr for wheat• 200 - 300 kg/hr for Teff • 400 -600 kg/hr for barely • 1500 - 2000 kg/hr for sorghum
Price • 35,000 - 40,000ETB
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Cont….
Thresher •Fedis sorghum thresher
Source • Fedis
Capacity • 1500 - 2000 kg/hr
Price • 35,000 - 40,000 ETB
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Cont….
Thresher•Modified replaceable drum and beater
thresher/ sheller
Source • Oromiya
Capacity
Price • 30,000 - 40, 000ETB
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Cont….
Thresher •Groundnut decorticator
Source • Fedis
Capacity•250 - 300 kg/hr
Price • 3,500-4,000 ETB
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Cont….
Thresher •Melkassa Groundnut sheller
Source • EIAR
Capacity • 505 kg /hr
Price •2,000 - 3,000 ETB
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Cont….
Thresher •Modified IITA Multi-Crop Thresher
Source • EIAR
Capacity • 2400 kg/hr for maize
Price • 20,000 ETB
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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
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The main actorsAgricultural mechanization
research program of the EIAR
Regional mechanization research
Tigray, Amahra Oromiya, Sodo rural technology
centers, and universities. They
undertake
improvement
activities based
on importe
d prototy
pes
design new
prototype, and
testmultiply
for demonstration
provide training
on fabrication/multiplication and
utilization of
adapted threshe
rs to differen
t custom
ers.
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
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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
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Cont…Private Metal workshopsLinked 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
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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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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.
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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
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Cont…Challenges in threshing
technology multiplication due to limited capacity
Challenges in threshing technology delivery System
Institutional challenges
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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
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
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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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Thank you