The neglected governance challenges of agricultural mechanisation in Africa – insights from Ghana

Abstract

After decades of neglect, agricultural mechanisation is back on the development agenda in Africa. Taking the mechanisation efforts of Ghana as an example, this paper analyses the governance challenges involved in government and private sector efforts to promote mechanisation in smallholderbased farming systems. To identify these governance challenges, this paper develops a conceptual framework that combines the agricultural innovation system approach with the concepts of New Institutional Economics. Two qualitative empirical methods were used to apply the framework: the Net-Map technique, which is a participatory mapping tool, and expert / key informant interviews. The results show that next to well-known problems such as market failures concerning access to spare-parts supplies and credit, mechanisation is constrained by missing institutions, particularly those that would be required to ensure adequate skill development of tractor-operators and technicians. In addition, exchange rate fluctuations and impeding customs practices prevent stronger private sector involvement in mechanisation. Governance challenges such as political interest and elite capture were found to limit the effectiveness of government imports of tractors and machinery. The findings suggest that instead of focusing on the supply of subsidised machinery, the government could be more effective by investing in institutional development to strengthen the agricultural innovation system for mechanisation and to support emerging private sector initiatives.

African Rural Youth Engagement in Agribusiness: Achievements, Limitations, and Lessons

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A farm-level assessment of labor and mechanization in Eastern and Southern Africa

“…After more than two decades of low interest and minimum investments in agricultural mechanization, the topic is back on the agenda of policy, research, and development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) (e.g., Daum and Birner 2017;FAO and AUC 2018). This renewed interest was indeed epitomized by the statement of the chairperson of the African Union Commission during the 2015 African Union Summit, when she declared "we must retire the handheld-hoe to the museum, and provide access to modern technology" (https://au.int/web/sites/default/files/ speeches/25429-sp-intergenerational_dialogue_speech_ 22_may_final.pdf; Fig.…”

Of Trackers and Tractors. Using a Smartphone App and Compositional Data Analysis to Explore the Link Between Mechanization and Intra-Household Allocation of Time in Zambia

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