乌干达农业机械化尝试

农业对非洲国家实现发展来说至关重要，同时，它也是创造就业最好的领域。因为在撒哈拉以南非洲，仅农业耕种一项就占到总就业的60%左右，而与粮食生产有关的其他就业机会也有着很大的潜力。在埃塞俄比亚、马拉维、莫桑比克、坦桑尼亚、乌干达和赞比亚，预计在2010年至2025年间，粮食产业能够提供的就业机会超出了所有其他经济行业。

在非洲国家为未来50年制定的发展蓝图“2063议程”中，农业、粮食安全和营养被列在核心地位。农业也是包容性和可持续发展的驱动力，并且为供应营养、安全和能够负担得起的食品奠定了基础。

但是，目前非洲的农业面临着巨大的挑战。非洲多地仍然使用锄头耕地，依靠雨水浇灌，这些落后的做法使得生产效率极低，年轻人没有兴趣，根本无法实现非洲大陆制定的“零饥饿”目标。在亚洲，超过60%的土地使用了拖拉机耕地，可是在撒哈拉以南非洲，这一数字只有约5%。

2018年10月，粮农组织（FAO）和非洲联盟启动了一个新的框架文件，旨在通过帮助非洲国家制定可持续的农业机械化战略，提高农业效率，逐渐取代原始低效的手工耕作。

可持续农业机械化（SAMA）战略不仅认真回顾了非洲的机械发展史，并给出了如何应对挑战和创造新机会的方法，以确保机械化能够得到成功采用。虽然近年来非洲的农业生产率有所提高，但仍远远落后于其他地区。现在，撒哈拉以南非洲，每四人中就有一人长期处于营养不良的状态。
在未来几十年里，非洲人口将持续增长，预计到2050年，人口将达到13亿，这将使粮食供应变得更加紧缺。并且，由于气候变化日趋严重，农作物和牲畜的生产都受到了威胁，这也加大了粮食安全需要面对的挑战。如果不及时采取有效措施，作为非洲的主要农作物之一的玉米的产量，到2050年可能会下降40%。过去，扩大耕地促进了非洲的农业生产，但这是以牺牲环境为代价换来的。今后，发展的重点必须聚焦在不损害环境的前提下确保农业用地的可持续使用。

乌干达农业仍使用原始工具

农业对乌干达来说也同样至关重要，它占到国内生产总值的26%，超过80%的人口都在从事农业生产。但在农业生产过程中主要依靠的是牛和使用原始工具的农民，机械化水平不足10%。在这种情况下，农业始终未能充分发挥其潜力，大多数农民也仍生活在贫困中。

马丁·卢瑟·穆努是坎帕拉经济政策研究中心的一位研究员，他说，“乌干达农业还没有实现机械化。农业生产仍然依靠每户农民手工耕作，机械化的资源非常有限。只有一些传统种植园，比如卡其拉糖厂，达到了机械化生产的水平。”

由于没有实现机械化，许多农民只能年复一年地在同一块土地上耕作，因为他们没有精力去开垦新的土地。这样的做法对土壤极其不利，也影响了农作物的产量。

农民伊齐基尔·穆吉萨非常希望在2018年第二季时增加其玉米的种植面积，可是他却仍只能种植三英亩。他属于典型的心有余而力不足。
穆吉萨说，“我雇来种庄稼的人一个月下来只能种三英亩的土地，如果让他们继续种的话，就会错过雨季。”

如果能用上农用拖拉机的话，它一小时的耕种面积是人工的三倍多。

昂贵的机械化成本

虽然拖拉机不仅可以除草、种植和翻整土地，还能被用于发电、灌溉和运输，但对大多数乌干达农民来说，他们支付不起这一昂贵的费用。

库珀汽车公司是一家位于坎帕拉的拖拉机经销商，在它那里一台最便宜的拖拉机也需要17000美元（约合11.7万人民币），而一台最贵的则要7万美元（约合48万人民币）。

对中等收入的农民来说，买一台75马力的拖拉机就可以了，因为它相对便宜并且性价比很高。

乌干达共有十多家拖拉机经销商，但这并未能使他们把价格降下来。穆努认为像可持续农业机械化（SAMA）战略这类方案应当着眼于降低农业机械的成本。

穆努说，“非洲大陆正在加速一体化的进程以推动贸易增长。我们与东非共同体在扩大产品市场方面取得了成功，与非洲大陆自由贸易区（AfCFTA）签署的协议也增大了市场准入的范围。在国内，人口持续增长和城市化也都带来了机遇。”

同时，他也指出，“与机会相伴而来的是来自其他成熟国家的竞争加剧以及土地使用受到的限制。在这种情况下，机械化能够帮助乌干达农民耕种更多未被开垦的土地，从而带来彻底的改变。而且土地资源在我们国家很丰富，因此，机械化在这方面大有可为。机械化还有助于组织生产适应市场需要的产品，并确保生产过程的正规化，这对国际贸易而言，也增添了竞争优势。”

新机械化政策

今年7月，乌干达农业、畜牧业和渔业部开启了新的农业机械化政策草案的准备过程。该政策有望恢复1970年制定的将拖拉机分配到县所辖地区的方案。

当时按照安排，政府给每个分县下拔了三台拖拉机，然后农民用可负担得起的价格租用它们犁地和除草。政府同时还为他们提供了机器所需的零配件。遗憾的是，由于70年代末和80年代初的动荡，该方案未能得到长期执行，最终彻底停止了。

但现在分析人士认为，该政策不应仅局限于以前的范围。

坎帕拉经济政策研究中心的研究员马丁·卢瑟·穆努认为，“这项政策应当考虑到乌干达农业区域的不同之处。有些地方属于山区，有些则位于缓坡地带。机械化应针对不同区域的不同特点，并且提供具有多用途的机械化设备。比方说，拖拉机除了常规功能外，还应具备可以进行灌木清理、运输甚至发电的功能。”

这项政策一旦获得通过，估计它还将推广手扶拖拉机的使用，并将它作为农民能负担得起的机械化替代品。

穆努认为，该政策还应为农民提供信贷融资，这样他们不仅可以购买拖拉机，还可以购买灌溉设备。他说，“政策应当包括所有这些设备。更重要的是，政府需要直接购买它们，因为一些设备太贵了，乌干达的私营行业无力采购。而且由于它的回报不可能太快导致投资者也大多没有兴趣。在这方面，乌干达与中国、印度等国的双边合作也应发挥作用，因为乌干达农业机械化的实现对于推动南南合作具有重要的现实意义。”

拖拉机租赁服务

有农业头脑的企业家已经发现了农业机械在农民负担能力方面存在的缺口，并正在利用这一机会。穆库苏汽车公司的经理马拉格特-纳古贾就是他们中的一位。

这家公司2011年在坎帕拉成立，专门从事车辆和设备的租赁及销售。它与印度一家农业设备制造商合作，为乌干达东部的农民推出了一项试验性的拖拉机租赁服务。

这一试验性业务的目标就是引进和测试机械化设备，从而提高乌干达东部水稻种植农户的生产能力，并进而增加他们的收入。

在乌干达中南部的卢恩戈区，一些农民联合在一起集资购买了一台拖拉机。他们这个小群体的负责人艾曼纽尔·森塔木说，“我们上年纪了，干不动农活了。所以我们就筹了一部分钱，又从银行贷了一部分款，买了一辆75马力的拖拉机。”这台拖拉机他们在几家轮流使用，每家平均分摊燃油费和司机的工资。

大多数农民对于农业设备的认知还停留在平整土地阶段，但分析人士认为，农民在整个农业生态系统过程中都应当接受机械化的观念。

穆努说，“我们需要一套完整的机械化方案，因为零散的干预措施不会产生明显的效果。乌干达需要以一种更有效的方式大幅度提高产量，而农田机械化应当贯穿农业生产的全过程。”

乌干达的中国农机设备

中国北方工业集团公司是将中国农机引入乌干达的首批公司之一。该集团公司和它的三个子公司在乌干达首都坎帕拉销售包括拖拉机、灌溉设备和喷雾器在内的所有农机设备。

该公司的经理韩先生非常诚恳地建议乌干达的农民能够拥抱机械化的观念，因为这是提高农业生产率的必经之路。

他说，“这些机器设备对农民的帮助很大，可以让他们不用那么辛苦地在田里干活，交给机器干就行了。”

英文版

Uganda: A lack of mechanization stifles the potential of agriculture

By Ronald Kato, Journalist of  Africa News in Uganda

Agriculture
is critical to some of Africa’s biggest development goals. The sector
is an engine of job creation: Farming alone currently accounts for about
60 percent of total employment in sub-Saharan Africa, while the share
of jobs across the food system is potentially much larger. In Ethiopia,
Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, the food system is
projected to add more jobs than the rest of the economy between 2010 and
2025.

Agriculture,
food security and nutrition are at the heart of Agenda 2063, Africa’s
development blueprint over the next 50 years. Agriculture is also a
driver of inclusive and sustainable growth, and the foundation of a food
system that provides nutritious, safe, and affordable food.

At
the same time, Africa’s agriculture sector is facing mounting
challenges. Many of Africa’s still use hand hoes to till the land and
dependent on rain, a practice that entails poor productivity, repels
youth and is incompatible with the continent’s Zero Hunger goal. While
tractors are used to prepare land on over 60 per cent of cultivated
lands in Asia, the corresponding figure for Sub-Saharan Africa is around
5 per cent.

In
October 2018, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the
African Union launched a new framework document that aims to increase
agricultural efficiency and reduce drudgery by helping countries in
Africa to develop strategies for sustainable farm mechanization.

The
Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization (SAMA) offers a detailed look at
the history of machinery in Africa, and points the way towards
addressing challenges and creating new opportunities to assure the
successful adoption of mechanization.

While
agricultural productivity in Africa has picked up in recent years, it
still lags behind other regions, and currently one in four people in
sub-Saharan Africa is chronically undernourished.

In
the coming decades, Africa’s food system will be further strained by a
population that is projected to rise by 1.3 billion by 2050. And the
food security challenge will only grow as climate change intensifies,
threatening crop and livestock production. If no adaptation occurs,
production of maize—which is one of Africa’s staple crops—could decline
by up to 40 per cent by 2050. Expanding the land that is under
cultivation has boosted African agricultural production in the past, but
it has come at an environmental cost. Moving forward, the focus must be
on intensifying production on agricultural land sustainably without
harming the environment.

Uganda’s agriculture still uses rudimentary tools

Agriculture
is critical to Uganda. The sector contributes 26 per cent of Uganda’s
GDP and over 80 per cent of the population is involved in agricultural
activities. More than 90 per cent of the power used in farming, however,
comes from oxen or humans with rudimentary tools.  As a result, the
sector has never reached its full potential and the country’s mostly
smallholder farmers are still mired in poverty.

“Uganda’s
agriculture is not mechanised. The country’s agriculture is dominated
by small holder farmers with limited resources to employ
mechanisastion”, said Martin Luther Munu, a researcher at the Economic
Policy Research Centre in Kampala.

“Only traditional plantation farmers for example the likes of Kakira Sugar works are mechanised”, Munu added.

Due
to a lack of mechanization, many farmers are forced to use the same
fields over and over because they cannot open new land. This has
affected the fertility of the soils and crop yields.

When
farmer Ezekiel Mugisa wanted to multiply the acreage for his maize crop
for the second season of 2018, he could only stop at three acres. His
ambitions were cut short by the hoe.

“The
men I employed to till the land could only plough three acres after a
month. If we insisted on more, we would have missed the rains”, Mugisa
said.

But a simple farming tractor could have ploughed more than triple Mugisa’s did in a matter of hours.

⬆Farmers examine irrigation equipment at an exhibition

Mechanizing is expensive

While
tractors can be used to generate power, irrigation, transportation
apart from weeding, planting and land preparation, they remain very
expensive assets for the majority of Uganda’s farmers to acquire.

At
Cooper Motor Corporation, one of the tractor dealers in Kampala, a
farmer needs to part with $17,000 (about CNY 11.7 thousands) for the
cheapest tractor unit and $70,000 (about CNY 48 thousands) for the most
expensive one.

A
middle income farmer is recommended to purchase the 75-horsepower horse
machine because it is relatively cheap and cost effective.
Uganda has over ten tractor dealers but that has not brought down their cost.

Munu
says initiatives such as The Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization
(SAMA) should look at bringing down the cost of farm machinery.

“The
African continent is increasing integrating to promote trade. The
success we have seen with the East African Community in terms of
increased market for our products and also the signing of the African
Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) also increases market access. At
domestic level, increasing population and urbanisation all presents
opportunities”, Munu said.

“These
opportunities however come with challenges of increased competition
from other established countries as well as land access constraints.
Mechanisation would therefore be a game changer by enabling Ugandan
farmers to increase on the underutilised land, which is so large in
comparison to our countries with increased mechanisation. It will also
help in organising production to meet market demands which comes with
formalisation and its associated advantages as far as international
trade is concerned”, he asserted.

New Mechanization Policy

In
July, Uganda’s Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries
kick-started a process to add to the new draft policy for Agricultural
Mechanisation. The policy is expected to revive a 1970’s program of
allocating tractors to sub-counties.

Under
the arrangement, government allocated three tractors per sub-county.
The tractors would be hired by farmers to plough and weed at affordale
rates. Government would provide and spare parts. The project however
lost steam and eventually collapsed as the country slid further into
unrest in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.

But analysts say the policy should not be limited in its scope.

“The
policy should address differences in Uganda’s agricultural zones. Some
places are mountainous while others are gently sloping. Mechnisation
should be specific to zones and there should also be multiple use
mechnisation equipments. A tractor for instance can do bush clearing,
transportation and even power generation to run other processing
facilities”, said Martin Luther Munu, researcher at the Economic Policy
Research Centre.

The
policy, once enacted, is also expected to popularize the use of walking
or hand-driven tractors as affordable alternatives for smallholder
farmers who wish to mechanize.

But
Munu argues that the policy should also make credit financing available
for farmers to acquire not just tractors but also irrigation equipment.
“All these equipments should be covered under the policy. More
importantly, government has to play a more direct role in acquiring
these equipments as some are too expensive for Uganda’s weak private
sector to invest in. Even the returns may not be as quick as investors
would wish which also discourages them. Bilateral arrangements with
countries like India, China would also be an important move to promote
South-South cooperation in Uganda’s agricultural mechnisation drive”, he
said.

⬆A farmers sprays passion fruits using modern equipment

Tractor hire companies, farmers take matters in their own hands

Farming
minded entrepreneurs have identified a gap in agricultural machinery
affordability and are exploiting it. One of them is Maragret Nagujja,
the director of Mukusu Motors & Properties.

The
company is a vehicle and equipment leasing and sales enterprise based
in Kampala, established in 2011.  Working in partnership with an Indian
farm equipment maker, the company has rolled out a tractor hire service
for farmers in eastern Uganda on a pilot arrangement.

The
goal of this pilot is to introduce and test mechanized equipment
intended to improve the productivity of eastern Ugandan rice-growing
smallholder farmers, thereby increasing their incomes.

In
Lwengo district in Uganda’s south central, a group of farmers united
under a cooperative raised money to buy a tractor. “We could not till
the land anymore with our elderly bodies. We are becoming weaker because
of old age. So we raised money and got a bank to lend us more and we
acquired a 75-Horse Power tractor’’, said Emmanuel Ssentamu, the group’s
leader. The tractor is shared amongst members. A member only has to pay
fuel costs and a driver’s wages.

Most
farmers seem to want mechanization only at the land preparation stage.
Analysts however say farmers need to embrace mechanization throughout
the agricultural eco-system.

“We
need a full package mechanisation as these piece meal interventions
does not produce significant results. Uganda needs to be able to
producte more output in a more efficient manner which starts with on the
farm mechanisation through post-harvest” said Munu.

Chinese farm equipment in Uganda

China
North Machines is one of the pioneer companies in bringing Chinese farm
machinery to Uganda. The company, with three branches in Uganda’s
capital Kampala, sells everything from tractors, irrigation equipment to
sprayers.

The company’s director Mr Han urged Ugandan farmers to embrace mechanization for increased farm productivity.

“These
machines exist to help farmers do the business of farming wiyhout
having to labour so hard. They are here to help do the hard work for
them”, Han said.

⬆A farmer threshes maize using modern equipment