The County Government of Nakuru has initiated a partnership with the National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Growth Project (NARIGP) to encourage the adoption of technology and mechanised farming among smallholder farmers to improve production and the quality of their produce.
The devolved unit has announced that it is crafting public-private partnerships to set up a mechanisation hub, which will also link providers of mechanised farm services to smallholder farmers who do not have agricultural machinery.
The County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in charge of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries, Mr. Leonard Bor, said the initiative was aimed at giving younger farmers opportunities to embrace better mechanised food production to increase yields, in addition to making farming attractive to the younger generation.
“We envision a situation where smallholder farmers have access to subsidised mechanization. This will help reduce overreliance on human labour, which is not economical. Farmers will enjoy increased yields on their farm produce. We want to set up at least five mechanisation hubs across the county,” stated Mr. Bor.
Speaking when he received four tractors and agricultural equipment for a potato mechanisation project under the NARIGP initiative, the CECM noted that technological advancements have enabled the manufacture of light and cheaper machinery that can help smallholder farmers revolutionise agriculture both in terms of quantity and quality of products grown and processed.
Mr. Bor 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 small-scale farmers improve productivity, thus making agriculture more profitable. The county is seeking ways of enhancing food security through mechanised farming, irrigation, and the use of quality seeds and appropriate fertilisers,” he further said.
Mr. Bor noted that mechanised farming contributed to the 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 equipment also included one disc plough, two three-row ridgers, two 20-disc double-offset harrows, two chisel ploughs, two potato planters, two harvesters, and two tipping trailers.
The CECM said there was a need for traders and dealers in agricultural machinery to equip smallholder farmers 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. Bor stated that the county was working with 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 training in place 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 CECM.
While noting that the equipment will be used by the Nakuru Potato Cooperative Union, which comprises 10 potato cooperative societies across the devolved unit, Mr. Bor observed that mechanisation of potato farming improves harvesting of the crop, lowering costs, and reducing post-harvest losses by 20 per cent with fewer damaged potatoes compared to manual harvest.
He added that Kenyan farmers are still shying away from modernization due to lack of capital.
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 kilometres.
The report indicates that despite the potential that mechanisation has for transforming agriculture by helping farmers 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 square kilometre compared to developed countries, where India had 128 tractors while Brazil registered 116 tractors both per square kilometre.
The World Bank attributed the low level to the fact that mechanisation is capital intensive, requiring special financial products such as long-term capital, credits, or leasing arrangements, which are beyond smallholder farmers and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
“Nevertheless, where smallholder farmers access mechanisation, they are required to go an extra mile to maximise the potential of the agricultural machines, which, if not maximised, compromises repayment plans and becomes a threat to the profitability of the machines,” the report said.
Mr. Bor noted that the continent’s population is expected to double by 2050, meaning it will require enormous effort to feed the people.
He pointed out that it’s time the continent ditched 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 mechanisation sector and make a great business of it.
“In Kenya, there are only 2 tractors for every 2,500 acres. Kenyan youth need to keep their eyes and innovative prowess in 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 kilometre in Rwanda to 43 per square kilometre in South Africa, compared with 128 per square kilometre in India and 116 per square kilometre in Brazil,” explained the CECM.
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.
The CECM stated that without mechanised agriculture, productivity suffers drastically, lowering farmers’ earnings.
“The need to boost crop yields to feed Kenyans is becoming a priority. All manufacturers need to contribute towards the realisation of the government’s Big 4 Agenda. Technological advancements and innovations have helped small-scale farmers improve productivity, thus making agriculture more profitable.
“The county is implementing ways of improving food nutrition and security, which include mechanised farming, irrigation, and the use of quality seeds and appropriate fertilisers,” he said.
Mr. Bor noted that mechanised farming contributed to the 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 CECM revealed that his department was in talks with various lenders with a view to coming up with affordable financing opportunities for small-scale farmers wishing to acquire machinery.
He said smallholder farmers will also 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.
The CECM noted that soil erosion and poor seed beds are common challenges witnessed in the county due to lack of skills in machine operation.
Mr. Bor further observed that small-scale dairy farmers should embrace mechanised 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.
According to Egerton University’s Tegemeo Institute of Policy and Research Analysis, the cost of producing a litre of milk in the country is between Sh19 to Sh25. But industry players want the cost reduced to Sh14 to be able to remain competitive within the East Africa region.
Mr. Bor noted that dairy feeds accounted for an average of 70 per cent of the cost of production and that if farmers employed mechanised technology to mix their own feeds at home, it would directly reduce the cost of producing milk.
He said that as long as farmers use the right ingredients when making their own feeds, the quality will be good.
“What is produced by some feed manufacturers is not necessarily of high quality. Various samples of animal feed have been analysed and found to be of poor quality. It is better for small-scale dairy farmers to mix their own feeds where they are guaranteed the quality and quantity of ingredients,” stated the CECM.
The county, he said, is working on a mechanisation policy that will guide the training of farm equipment operators by various stakeholders in partnership with manufacturers and their appointed dealers.
By Anne Mwale
