buy and price of Agriculture Mechanization Services
Smallholder agriculture is a mainstay of food production in developing countries and key to promoting the adoption of long-term global food security
Agriculture Mechanization Services
The importance of conservation agriculture requires a mechanization services through what is discussed in the context of producing food for a growing population while preserving and enhancing the natural resource base
CA requires mechanization and the necessary equipment may be out of reach for the majority of small farmers, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa
A logical solution to this situation is to provide CA processing services to private sector entrepreneurs
These are provided with appropriate CA equipment and generally benefit from specific training on the technical aspects of CA machine operation and the business skills needed to run a profitable business
Technical skills to be strengthened include: equipment selection, calibration of planters, seeders and sprayers, field operations, maintenance and repair
Essential commercial skills include: market research and feasibility studies, business planning, calculating operating expenses, fractional budgeting, break-even points and cash flow
Local manufacturing was advocated to reduce machine acquisition costs and encourage local customization
Acquisition costs are discussed as well as financing options
Guidelines for the marketing and management of companies providing mechanization services have been developed
These include the importance of contracts, job scheduling, regular maintenance schedules and record keeping
Finally, it is seen as the most appropriate means to provide training and support
Formal training is a good place to start, but it can be expensive to organize and deliver
Individual advice from advice centers is a viable option if the quality of service is high enough
Study groups of involved entrepreneurs should be encouraged and supported to address the problems that inevitably arise in new business ventures
Agriculture Mechanization in india
In rainfed agriculture, small farmers often believe that tillage is necessary to control weeds and maximize crop yields
But agriculture can degrade soil physical, chemical and biological properties, and there is ample evidence that crop yields are limited
Continuous ploughing, extensive annual burning of vegetation from rain, monocultures of maize, and liberal application of soil-acidifying fertilizers can degrade land to a state where agriculture is not possible
Soil losses of up to 1000 tons per hectare have been recorded
The FAO concludes that mismanagement of land resources has degraded soils to such an extent that it is often difficult for small farmers to increase production above the subsistence level
The world’s 500 million smallholder farmers currently produce 80 percent of the food in developing countries, and they alone will bear the brunt of the need to increase food production by more than 60 percent by 2050 from 2007 levels
Against this backdrop of degraded soils, poor natural environment and poor crop production, Conservation Agriculture (CA) is seen as a viable option to address the situation Basic principles of CA CA is now a well-known concept and is practiced on 160 million hectares worldwide
It is based on three basic principles aimed at improving soil health, fertility and structure; CA maintains or enhances crop production with a particular focus on conserving natural resources
There are three basic principles: Minimal soil disturbance: In practice, this means at most no-till or making narrow seed slots in the soil
Permanent organic soil cover with living or dead plant material: This means leaving as much crop residue as possible on the soil surface; inclusion of cover crops in the crop rotation; and/or combining useful plants, in particular fruits, with cash crops or food crops
Practice crop rotation and combination: Crop rotation between different crops (particularly legumes and non-legumes) has long been recognized as a natural method of controlling pests and diseases, and cover crop rotations are recommended
Crop rotation is recommended to increase soil fertility for both annual and perennial crops
The CA application is based on the integration of best agricultural practices, minimal tillage, as well as general principles of land and water management, planning of agricultural operations, increased use of organic matter, judicious and appropriate use of mineral fertilizers and appropriate plant varieties
This approach recognizes that appropriate and efficient use of land and water resources is key to sustainable agricultural productivity as new, higher quality land for agricultural expansion becomes scarce coupled with the need for proper forest protection that acts as a sink and carbon pools that would otherwise be oxidized and contribute to anthropogenic climate change and precipitation variability
This description of the situation and the threats to future agricultural production clearly shows the need for a general transformation of the smallholder food production model on a global scale
SCPI (Sustainable Crop Production Intensification) models with significantly improved environmental protection are important to produce more food while protecting natural resources
Agriculture Mechanization in asia
Mitigation scenarios that can keep the temperature change below 2°C include land-use changes such as afforestation, reduced deforestation and other technologies to remove carbon dioxide in all but net CO2 emissions in the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use Zone (AFOLU)
Areas are expected to increase mainly due to C sequestration in forestry and C leaching in agricultural soils
Arable soils can, of course, only be C sinks if they are not eroded or their C is not oxidized, so the association of conservation agriculture, particularly with trees, plays an obvious role in this process A certain level of mechanization is required to apply CA principles to smallholder production situations
No-till, weed control, and cover crop management practices required by CA require specific mechanical processes
If CA is to be introduced, the availability and affordability of these options are of paramount importance, and the acquisition of specific equipment must often be beyond the capabilities of individual smallholders
Our argument is that a cadre of well-prepared and well-trained CA mechanization contractors is an attractive solution to multiple problems
This allows small farmers access to CA mechanization services, and service providers can make a living using equipment that would normally be too expensive and prohibitive for a single farmer on many farms
By having access to the necessary technical and business planning skills, interested farmers (and others) could be encouraged to invest in CA machines and offer a customized rental service that will benefit many others in the smallholder community
The purpose of the paper is to provide a fundamental platform for private sector entrepreneurs who are considering investing in the provision of sustainable agricultural mechanization services
Years of experience have taught that it is important to retain basic, easy-to-understand concepts
Otherwise, the understanding and thus the interest of the target group of the training will be lost
