加速中的非洲农业机械化

2018年10月，联合国粮农组织和非盟发布了一份新的框架性文件《可持续农业机械化:非洲框架》，旨在提高非洲农业效率并促进非洲农业发展。作为这份框架文件的起草人之一,
同时也是联合国粮农组织南部非洲区域协调员的Patrick

Kormawa博士表示，非洲农业机械化仍然处于非常低的水平，“可持续农业机械化”意味着农民将能够使用改进的农业工具和动力技术。这也意味着农民可以从自给自足式的生计农业转向更加市场化的农业经营，从而使务农对农村的青年更具吸引力。除了创造就业以外，可持续农业机械化可以通过提高粮食产量、加强粮食安全等改进的农业生产方式来支持粮食供应链的发展。

“有迹象表明，农业机械化有加速发展的趋势。”Kormawa博士在接受《中国投资》杂志采访时说。

快速城镇化带来农机发展机遇

《中国投资》: 框架文件里写到，“可持续农业机械化转型时机现在已经到来”，为什么会有这样的说法?

Patrick Kormawa: 农业仍然是非洲大陆上从事人口最多的行业，也是最有可能带动非洲发展的“引擎”。如今，非洲约60%的人口依靠农业获得就业和生计，但2016年农业对非洲生产总值的贡献在仅仅只有21%。尽管非洲拥有世界上最多的未耕种的土地(2.02亿公顷)，相当于全球未耕种土地总面积的50%，但其生产力却仅为世界平均水平的56%，远远落后于其他发展中地区(AFDB,
2016; Jerome, 2017)。

农业机械化可以直接或间接影响产量差距：它能够有效减少庄稼收割前后的粮食损耗、浪费，同时也是减少非洲农田实际产量和潜在产量之间差距最容易实现的方式。如果到2025年非洲要实现零饥饿的目标，缩小粮食潜在和实际产量差距，提高生产效率至关重要。

有迹象表明，快速的城市化进程加速了农业机械化的发展，这导致市场对谷物等农产品的需求增加，因为谷物比其他作物需要更多的劳动力。此外，中等规模农户拥有拖拉机的现象也开始涌现，拖拉机不仅可以让这些农民更容易扩大农场规模，而且还能为邻近的农户提供土地翻耕等技术服务。与此同时，农村地区工资水平的上涨和季节性劳动力短缺也推动了农业对机械化广泛应用的需求。

这一框架旨在使制约非洲农业生产力提高、就业机会创造、农业收入和产量增长、粮食安全等问题得以解决。换句话说，这个框架着眼于农业机械化在整个农产品价值链，包括每个生产环节上的应用，包括：耕地使用前的准备，及时、按时的播种和种植，杂草防除，病虫害综合治理，精确施肥，收割，粮食储存以及在农场精深加工、物流运输和市场营销等沿食品供应链的产品增值环节。

《中国投资》: 非洲农业机械化的现状如何?

Patrick Kormawa: 非洲的农业机械化目前还处于六个阶段当中的初级阶段，即“动力替代”的阶段。这一阶段的特点是用内燃机或电动机的机械动力来代替有生命的动力(人的肌肉或役畜)，以完成能量密集型的任务，如初级土地耕作和谷物碾磨。对于目前非洲农业机械化的现状和发展阶段，学术上已有诸多研究。其中联合国粮农组织和工业发展组织进行了一项研究，它清楚地说明了非洲机械化目前的状况。报告显示，其他发展中国家每单位农田的拖拉机数量大约是撒哈拉以南非洲国家的10倍。报告还指出，非洲目前大约共有47万辆拖拉机，而要使非洲与其他地区拖拉机数量持平，总共需要大约350万辆(是现有水平的7倍)。

除了处于低水平的机械化投入，与世界其他地区相比，非洲农业还在灌溉设施上缺乏投资。目前仅仅有7%的非洲耕地得到灌溉，然而这一数据在印度是40%。这样的低水平投入对粮食安全和农户生计构成了严重的威胁。在农业生产中，灌溉环节相当于一个游戏中的规则调节器，它可以有效缓冲干旱等自然灾害的冲击，同时提高农业生产率（津巴布韦有灌溉设施的农田平均产量约为每公顷10吨，而依赖雨水供养的农田每公顷平均产量还不足1吨）。再者，非洲大陆对可以提高农产品附加值的小型农产品加工行业的投资非常少，而这恰恰是一个年轻人可以进入并发挥作用的领域。

有必要强调的是，上述这些体现农业机械化和相关机械化投资在非洲处于低位水平的数字，恰恰为我们当前正在作出的努力提供了重要的依据。

阻碍非洲农业机械化的因素

《中国投资》: 确实，非洲的农业机械化率非常低。您认为是什么因素阻碍了非洲的农业机械化?

Patrick Kormawa: 就这方面而言，我列出了一些阻碍非洲机械化的主要因素，包括:
• 缺乏财政支持(政府拨款/补贴，社会资本贷款)来实现机械化；
• 小农场的有限规模和农田的高分散化使其不适合机械化；
• 缺乏农业机械化的相关国家战略；
• 缺乏投资农业的动力；
• 农业机械价格昂贵；
• 国家范围内，现有的农机维修服务中心太少；
• 国家对农机制造商、经销商、销售商都缺乏足够的支持；
• 农村农业技术推广中心缺乏熟悉农机相关专业知识的工作人员。

上述这些影响因素可以分为三类，即商业问题、社会经济问题以及交叉问题。就商业问题而言，众所周知，虽然非洲农业以小农为主，但商业市场上并没有针对帮助小农户以实惠的价格购买大型农业机械（诸如拖拉机、收割机、脱粒机和碾磨设备等）方面足够下功夫。这是由于缺乏能促进农机服务市场有效竞争的商业模式。另外，也有研究表明，市场上几乎没有多少农机厂商在真正针对农民生产需求设计配套的农业机械。另外一个很重要的问题是，行之有效的筹资机制是缺失的，这使得农民无法以负担得起的价格租用或购买农业设备。

就社会经济问题而言，由于缺乏可行的战略和政策去让年轻人进入农业行业，农业机械化的发展一直受到制约。年轻一代人为寻求高效率的农业生产，更容易在接受农业机械化。而目前，在农村人口老龄化的背景下，年轻一代人通常把农业种植视为辛苦乏味的苦差事，这使他们更不愿意参与到农业工作中；而日渐衰老的一代人可能更不热衷于农业机械化。

另一个影响农业机械化普及的因素是，一些非洲国家缺乏推进农业机械化的政策。强有力的政策在支持对农业机械化的研发和投融资是十分有必要的。

农业机械化带来的商机

《中国投资》:非洲目前农业机械贸易的结构是怎样的?

Patrick Kormawa: 非洲的农业机械贸易结构呈现出强劲的进口趋势。过去，一些非洲国家政府有负责农业机械生产的国企，但这些企业后来都运营失败了。自此政府便不再设立或参与运营生产农业机械的企业。这使得有着各种各样商业模式的私营公司成为当下推动农业机械化的主导者和领头羊。这也是为什么当前战略的重点应是为私营农机企业营造有利的商业环境，以便生产出更适合的农机设备，或提供农业机械化的服务。

《中国投资》: 您认为，非洲哪些国家在农业机械方面有更好的工业基础?哪些国家对农业机械有更大的需求?

Patrick Kormawa: 南非、赞比亚、肯尼亚和津巴布韦已经建立了一些农具机械的工厂。非洲其他国家也在这领域开始做出一些努力，但同时也面临着来自从非洲以外国家(例如中国和印度)低成本的进口农具机械的竞争。

总的来说，非洲大部分国家对农业机械化都有着强烈的需求。

《中国投资》: 哪种类型的农业机械是非洲目前迫切需要的?原因是什么呢?

Patrick Kormawa:
目前来说，非洲最需要在农业机械化的普及应用上取得重大突破。根据非洲开发银行(African Development
Bank)的数据，在农场，非洲农民农业机械工具数量是其他发展中国家和地区农民的十分之一。而且，非洲农业机械化的发展速度也远落后于其他地区，如何使农民获得动力机械和农业生产设备仍然是非洲面临的重大挑战。非洲农业的机械化应基于具体的农产品及其延伸的价值链，采取农业机械+农产品价值链的方式。这意味着对于任意一种农产品，都应识别该商品进行机械化生产的潜在商机，并基于此形成“从田间到餐桌”的全产业链体系。

具体来讲，农用拖拉机、灌溉设备、收割机、收割后期处理设备以及精深加工设备(从谷物碾磨到根茎加工)的商业机会不断增加。随着农业机械化的普及，农户难以获得物美价廉的优质种子和牲畜种质的问题也可以得到解决。与此同时，伴随着城市人口的不断增长和对快餐食品的市场需求激增，家禽养殖业也蕴含着巨大的商机，家禽养殖场对机械化设备的需求也在不断攀升。此外，牛肉、园艺和乳品等行业对低温运输系统（冷链）的依赖为机械化进一步推广应用提供了契机。

虽然农机在农业领域中有着巨大的商机和发展潜力，但值得关注的是，农业机械化进程必须符合国家本身具体的社会经济情况，同时也应考虑到当地农耕系统、农场规模、市场、环境和可持续发展等问题。

英文版

Agricultural mechanization in Africa is accelerating

——Interview with Dr. Patrick Kormawa, FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa

By Hou Jieru  China Investment   Photo by FAO

On
October, 2018, FAO and African Union Commission launched a new
framework document, Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization: A Framework
for Africa, which aims to increase agricultural efficiency and
facilitate agricultural development in Africa.

As
one of the drafters of the framework document, Subregional Coordinator
for Southern Africa of FAO, Patrick Kormawa indicated that agricultural
mechanization in Africa is still at a very low level, “sustainable
agricultural mechanization” means that farmers will have access to
improved agricultural tools and powered technologies. This means that
farmers can shift from subsistence farming to more market-oriented
farming, making the agricultural sector more attractive to rural youth.
Apart from employment creation, sustainable mechanization supports the
development of food supply chains through improved agricultural
practices for increased production and enhanced food security.

“There
are signs of a trend in agricultural mechanization towards accelerated
development underpinned.” Dr. Patrick Kormawa said in an interview with
China Investment Magazine.

Rapid urbanization brings agricultural machinery development opportunities

China
Investment: It is written in the framework that, “now is the time for
transformative action on sustainable agricultural mechanization in this
region”. Why now is the time?

Patrick Kormawa:
Agriculture remains the biggest employer and the most likely engine for
growth on the continent. Today, about 60 percent of Africa’s population
depends on agriculture for jobs and livelihoods, yet its contribution
to the gross domestic product was a paltry 21 percent in 2016. While
Africa has the highest area of uncultivated arable land (202 million ha)
in the world, which is about 50 percent of the global total, its
productivity lags far behind other developing regions. Yields are only
56 percent of the international average (AFDB, 2016; Jerome, 2017).

Mechanization
directly and indirectly affects yield gap: it reduces both harvest and
post-harvest losses and is the low-hanging fruit that can bridge the gap
between actual and potential yield in Africa. Reducing the yield gap is
essential if Africa is to reach its goal of Zero Hunger by 2025.

There
are signs of a trend in agricultural mechanization towards accelerated
development underpinned by rapid urbanization which leads to increased
market demand for agricultural products such as cereals, which require
more labor than other crops. In addition, tractor ownership among
medium-scale farmers has started to emerge. Tractors not only allow
these farmers to expand the size of their farms, but also to provide
plowing services for nearby farmers. And finally rising rural wages, and
seasonal labor shortages also fuel demand for mechanization.

This
framework is meant to address some of the constraints that are
affecting productivity, employment creation, profitable farming and as
well as increasing production and enhancing food security. This means
that the framework looks at mechanization across value chains and at
every stage of production that is: agricultural land preparation,
supports timely seeding and planting, weed control, integrated pest
management, precise fertilizer application, harvesting, preparation for
storage, and value addition operations along the food supply chain in
terms of on-farm processing, transport and marketing.

China Investment: What is the current status and development stage of agricultural machinery in Africa?

Patrick Kormawa: Agricultural
mechanization in Africa is still at the first stage of the six: “power
substitution”. This stage is characterized by the replacement of animate
power (human muscles or draft animals) with mechanical power from
internal combustion engines or electric motors to perform
energy-intensive tasks, such as primary land tillage and grain milling.

The
current status and development stage of agricultural machinery in
Africa has been fully explored through various researches. One research
was done by FAO and UNIDO and it gives a clear picture of the status of
mechanization in Africa. For example, the report shows that other
developing countries had about 10 times as many tractors per unit of
farmland as those in sub-Sahara Africa. It was also shown that there
were about 470 000 tractors in Africa, against a required total of about
3.5 million (7 times more) to put Africa on a par with other regions.
Additionally,
apart from low power inputs, African agriculture suffers from a lack of
investment in irrigation compared with other regions of the world. Only
about 7 percent of Africa’s arable land is irrigated, while in India
the figure is 40 percent. These low levels pose a serious threat to food
security and livelihoods. Irrigation is a game changer as it is a
cushion against shocks such as droughts and at the same time it improves
productivity(average yields on irrigation schemes in Zimbabwe is at
around 10 tonnes per hectare against a national average of less than one
tonne for rain fed crop). In addition, the continent has low investment
in small scale agro-industries to add value to produce. This is an area
where the youth can come in and play a part, if there are lucrative
opportunities.

It
is important to highlight that these low statistics and levels of
investment into mechanization have informed the current efforts.
 
What hinder agricultural mechanization in Africa

China
Investment: Indeed, the agricultural mechanization rate in Africa is
very low. What factors do you think hinder agricultural mechanization in
Africa?

Patrick Kormawa: With regards to this, I would list these as the major factors hindering mechanization in Africa:
• Lack of financial support (government grants/subsidies, private player loans) to mechanize
• Small farms and scattered agricultural holdings which makes it not ideal for mechanization
• Lack of national strategy for agricultural mechanization
• Lack of motivation to capitalize in agriculture sector
• High price of agricultural machinery
• Too few machinery repair service centers available nation wide
• Lack of strong state support for manufacturers, distributors, sellers
• Lack of agents with mechanization expertise at rural extension centers.

These
factors can be divided into three categories namely, commercial,
socio-economic as well as cross cutting issues. With regards to the
commercial issues, it is acknowledged that while African agriculture is
dominated by smallholders, there have not been very bold efforts to
facilitate access by small-scale farmers to larger items of agricultural
machinery, such as tractors, harvesters, threshers and milling
equipment – at affordable prices.

This
is so because there are no competitive business models that facilitate
competitive provision of mechanization services. Additionally, it has
also been shown that not many players are designing equipment on a scale
that is suited to the needs of farmers. Another important issue is the
absence of viable financing mechanisms to enable farmers to either hire
or purchase agriculture equipment at affordable prices.

In
terms of socio-economic issues, the agricultural mechanization has been
hindered by failing to come up with strategies and policies to help
young people come into agriculture. Young people will easily adopt
mechanization as they seek to improve efficiency. At the moment, the
drudgery associated with farming debars young people from participation
and this comes against a background of an ageing rural population which
may not be keen on mechanization.

Another
factor affecting mechanization is that lack of policy supporting
agricultural mechanization in some of the African countries. There is
need for policies that support research and development, financing and
investment into mechanization.

Business opportunities for agricultural mechanization

China Investment: What is the current agricultural machinery trade structure in Africa?

Patrick Kormawa:
The trade structure shows a very strong trend towards imports. In the
past, several African governments had national enterprises that were in
charge of agricultural mechanization, but such enterprises failed. As a
result of the failure several governments are no longer setting up or
involved in enterprises dealing with agricultural mechanization. Thus,
private companies are the ones now taking the lead in mechanization with
different business models.

This
explains why the thrust of current strategies is to create an enabling
environment for the private players to produce more appropriate
machinery, and or provide agricultural mechanization services.

China
Investment: Which countries have better industrial bases in
agricultural machinery? and which countries have stronger needs in
agricultural machinery?

Patrick Kormawa: A
few farm tool and implement factories have been established, mainly in
South Africa, Zambia, Kenya and Zimbabwe. Few efforts in other countries
have been established in other parts of the continent but face
competition from the importation of low-cost tools from countries in
other continents (e.g. China and India). 

Generally, it is the greater part of the continent that has strong need for mechanization.

China Investment: Which types of agricultural machinery that Africa is in urgent need of? And why they need these types most?

Patrick Kormawa: Africa
urgently needs to make significant progress in mechanizing its
agriculture. According to data from the African Development Bank,
African farmers have 10 times fewer mechanized implements per farm area
than farmers in other developing regions. Access to farm power and
mechanized equipment remain a critical challenge as access has not grown
as quickly as in other regions. Mechanizing Africa’s agriculture must
be focused along the specific value chains taking an agricultural
mechanization value chain approach. This means for a given commodity,
business opportunities for mechanization much be identified and provided
from farm to fork. 

Specifically,
there are growing business opportunities for farm tractors, irrigation
equipment, harvesters, post-harvest equipment, and value-adding machines
or equipment, from grain mills, to root and tuber processing machines.
Access to affordable quality seeds and livestock germplasm is also a
constraint that can be solved by mechanization. There is a significant
business opportunity in the poultry industry due to the growing urban
population and demand for fast foods, thus mechanized poultry farm
equipment is in demand. The cold chain for beef, horticulture and milk
collection provides another opportunity for mechanization. 

While
these opportunities exist, it is important to note that agricultural
mechanization must be aligned to the country specific socio-economic
context taking into consideration farming systems, farm size, markets,
environmental and sustainability issues.

⬆Farmers use a tractor-driven, direct seeder with a fertilizer attachment near Nyahururu, Laikipia County.