SMALLHOLDER agriculture plays a pivotal role in provision of better livelihoods and food security in sub-Saharan Africa’s developing communities.
Additionally, smallholder agriculture helps in sustaining livelihoods for farmers and communities through income generation and employment in rural areas.
In most developing economies like Zambia, small-scale farmers make up about 80 percent of food for home consumption, employment, and poverty reduction.
To achieve food security through hunger and poverty alleviation as envisioned in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, smallholder agriculture must be feasible, productive, and sustainable.
However, this realisation is impeded by the continued reliance of Zambian subsistence farmers on traditional methods of farming and this has lowered the level of productivity.
As such, it is imperative to enhance agricultural productivity to meet the expected escalating demand for food necessitated by the growing population.
It is, therefore, important for Zambian small-scale farmers to make use of modern agricultural technologies to increase agricultural productivity. But on their own, this seems to be a far-fetched dream.
Fortunately, Government has not been oblivious of these farmers’ needs.
It has devised plausible measures to empower subsistence farmers with equipment and enable them to enhance their productivity and maximise yields.
Yesterday, President Hakainde Hichilema launched the National Agricultural Mechanisation Strategy, whose principal objective is to mechanise 500,000 hectares of smallholder farmland by 2027.
The strategy will also cover mechanisation of all husbandry practices recommended for crop production and lessen intensive manual labour in smallholder farming undertakings.
“The strategy has outlined various interventions, and key among them are restructuring agriculture expenditure, promoting public-private sector partnerships for agriculture investments, and implementing national agribusiness development investment,” President Hichilema said.
This is a welcome initiative for which all stakeholders should support Government so that the strategy is well executed and have all the 500,000 hectares of land mechanised.
Agricultural mechanisation among smallholder farmers is crucial in that it has a huge impact on demand and supply of farm labour, agricultural profitability, and change in rural landscape to increase labour efficiency and productivity.
The specific goal of agricultural mechanisation is to reduce labour,
lower the cost of production, and enhance the overall productivity.
The use of agricultural mechanisation positively impacts on smallholder agricultural production because it ensures a proliferation in smallholder productivity, farm returns, and crop intensity.
Agricultural mechanisation plays a crucial role for smallholder farmers because it boosts production efficiency by automating tasks.
It enables farmers to cultivate more land in less time, leading to increased crop yields. This efficiency is especially critical for smallholder farmers who often face labour shortages.
By using mechanised equipment, smallholders can achieve higher quality farm produce. Properly timed planting, efficient irrigation, and precision harvesting contribute to better quality of crops.
Mechanisation also enables smallholders to engage in large-scale farming. It allows them to manage large areas of land effectively, leading to greater overall production.
Further, farmland mechanisation contributes to development of value chains and food systems. It improves post-harvesting handling, processing and marketing activities, making them more efficient and friendly to the environment.
We, therefore, commend Government for launching the smallholder farmland mechanisation policy as this will go a long way in improving household food sufficiency and boosting our national strategic reserves.
Agro mechanisationstrategy welcome
SMALLHOLDER agriculture plays a pivotal role in provision of better livelihoods and food security in sub-Saharan Africa’s developing communities.
Additionally, smallholder agriculture helps in sustaining livelihoods for farmers and communities through income generation and employment in rural areas.
In most developing economies like Zambia, small-scale farmers make up about 80 percent of food for home consumption, employment, and poverty reduction.
To achieve food security through hunger and poverty alleviation as envisioned in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, smallholder agriculture must be feasible, productive, and sustainable.
However, this realisation is impeded by the continued reliance of Zambian subsistence farmers on traditional methods of farming and this has lowered the level of productivity.
As such, it is imperative to enhance agricultural productivity to meet the expected escalating demand for food necessitated by the growing population.
It is, therefore, important for Zambian small-scale farmers to make use of modern agricultural technologies to increase agricultural productivity. But on their own, this seems to be a far-fetched dream.
Fortunately, Government has not been oblivious of these farmers’ needs.
It has devised plausible measures to empower subsistence farmers with equipment and enable them to enhance their productivity and maximise yields.
Yesterday, President Hakainde Hichilema launched the National Agricultural Mechanisation Strategy, whose principal objective is to mechanise 500,000 hectares of smallholder farmland by 2027.
The strategy will also cover mechanisation of all husbandry practices recommended for crop production and lessen intensive manual labour in smallholder farming undertakings.
“The strategy has outlined various interventions, and key among them are restructuring agriculture expenditure, promoting public-private sector partnerships for agriculture investments, and implementing national agribusiness development investment,” President Hichilema said.
This is a welcome initiative for which all stakeholders should support Government so that the strategy is well executed and have all the 500,000 hectares of land mechanised.
Agricultural mechanisation among smallholder farmers is crucial in that it has a huge impact on demand and supply of farm labour, agricultural profitability, and change in rural landscape to increase labour efficiency and productivity.
The specific goal of agricultural mechanisation is to reduce labour,
lower the cost of production, and enhance the overall productivity.
The use of agricultural mechanisation positively impacts on smallholder agricultural production because it ensures a proliferation in smallholder productivity, farm returns, and crop intensity.
Agricultural mechanisation plays a crucial role for smallholder farmers because it boosts production efficiency by automating tasks.
It enables farmers to cultivate more land in less time, leading to increased crop yields. This efficiency is especially critical for smallholder farmers who often face labour shortages.
By using mechanised equipment, smallholders can achieve higher quality farm produce. Properly timed planting, efficient irrigation, and precision harvesting contribute to better quality of crops.
Mechanisation also enables smallholders to engage in large-scale farming. It allows them to manage large areas of land effectively, leading to greater overall production.
Further, farmland mechanisation contributes to development of value chains and food systems. It improves post-harvesting handling, processing and marketing activities, making them more efficient and friendly to the environment.
We, therefore, commend Government for launching the smallholder farmland mechanisation policy as this will go a long way in improving household food sufficiency and boosting our national strategic reserves.