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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