Increased use of mechanical power for farming operations has been one of the key aspects of the agricultural and rural transformation and will remain so under the efforts toward achieving the SDGs. Agricultural mechanization in Africa gained significant attention during the 1980s, but many interventions failed due to insufficient demand at the farm level. Since then, the situation has changed. Growing population and demand for food, rising rural wages, improvements in market access have contributed to the growth of demand for mechanization in Africa.

In this webinar, we will summarize major lessons about mechanization learned from the South-South knowledge exchange supported by the Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM) CGIAR Research Program. First, we’ll discuss some key messages that have come out of a compilation and synthesis of the mechanization growth experience in Asia and Africa. We will then talk about our engagement with government officials in Africa and how that helped to facilitate the mindset shift that was necessary before any mechanization development policy reforms could be started. Finally, we will discuss why agricultural mechanization should be seen as an important area for promoting private investment in rural transformation in general.