Start You Engines

START YOUR ENGINES In many developing countries, small-scale farmers are finding ways to make profitable use of tractors, power tillers, irrigation pumps, and other agricultural machinery. III. IIIIIIIIIIIII m O 00 000 0 000 0 00 00 0000 LEGEND POWER SOURCE TRACTORS/ POWER TILLERS IN USE 2010/2012 TRACTOR POWER TILLER MACHINE MANUAL ANIMAL AVERAGE FARM MAC HINES PLANTING & SHELLING/ SIZE (HA) PER 1,000 HA TILLAGE WEEDING HARVESTING THRESHING CHINA 4,852,400 17,972,300 BRINGING IN THE PROFESSIONALS 0.6 52.2 In China, private entrepreneurs have established professional, specialized 2010 mechanization services. These services migrate around China, transporting small combine harvesters, to take advantage of different harvest periods in different regions. 193.4 INDIA 4,000,000 200,000 1.3 41.2 FARMERS HIRING FARMERS In India, medium-size a nd large-scale farmers com mon ly own tractors, which they rent 2001 out to small-scale farmers. This model ma kes mechanization available to small farmers while also bringing rental income to larger farmers. 2.1 BANGLADESH KEEPING IT SMALL 35,000 500,000 0.5 2.9 Farming in Bangladesh takes place at a very small scale 2008 but is highly mechanized. Small-scale farmers own very low-cost, small-scale machines, such as water pumps, power tillers, threshers, and two-wheeled tractors. 41.2 NIGERIA MECHANIZING RICE FARMS AND BEYOND Mechanization is restricted to certain areas in Ni geria. It is most commonly 24,800 1.8 1.4 used in rice cultivation, but this accounts for a relatively small share of land. The government subsidizes tractor sales and offers government tractor rental services, but most plowing involves renting tractors from private owner-operators. 2012 ЕTHIOPIA ANIMALS AND TRACTORS TOGETHER Mechanization is at an early stage and currently lowla nds of Ethiopia, where it is often combined with animal traction. Small farmers may rent tractors to plow especially hard ground before using animal traction. Medium-sized famers may own or rent both oxen and often fully mechanized. 12,000 0.9 1.2 restricted to the western 2012/2013 tractors. And large-scale fa mers a GHANA RENTAL SERVICES, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE 7,555 3.5 4.6 Most tractors in Ghana are owned and operated by private med ium- and la rge-sca le 2005/2006 farmers who a lso provide rental services to other farmers. There are also more than 80 subsidized mechanization service centers-organized by the government butoperated privately-that provi de local plowing services. In some irrigated rice-growing a reas, famers commonly use power tillers and small-scale combine harvesters. SOURC ES: Country pathways of mechanization: X. Diao, F. Cossar, N. Houssou, and S. Kolavali, "Mechanization in Ghana: Emerging Demand, and the Search for Altemative Supply Models, Food Policy 48 (October 2014): 168–181; H. Takeshima, A. N. Pratt, X. Diao, Agricultural Mechanization Patterns in Nigeria, IFPRI Discussion Paper 1291 (Washington, DC: IFPRI, 2013): H. Ta keshi ma, H. Edeh, A. Lawal, and M. Isiaka, Trac tor Owner-Operators in Nigeria, IFPRI Discussion Paper 1355 (Washington, DC. IFPRI, 2014); G. Berha ne, "Emerging Demand for Tractor Mechanization in Ethiopia," presentation at the conference "Mechanization and Agricultural Transformation in Asia and Africa," Beijing, China, June 18-19, 2014, Machinery stock: FAOSTAT 2014; Avera ge farm size: National household and agicultural surveys, Power source: Observations by IFPRI researchers. INSIGHTS IFPRInfographic ifpri.org MAGAZINE OF THE INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE