thresher development and training in...
TRANSCRIPT
Thresher Development and
Training in Ghanahttp://soybeaninnovationlab.illinois.edu/
Kerry Clark
1. Higher farm incomes
2. More savings
3. Higher demand for
mechanization
4. Higher productivity
3. Higher demand for
mechanization
5. Higher levels of supply of
mechanization
6. Low capital costs of
mechanization
7. Lower operating cost
of mechanization
Cycles resulting from sustainable crop
production intensification (UN-FAO)
Higher farm incomes:
• Investment in rural
development
• Establish social
protection systems
• Building urban-rural
linkages
• Enhanced land
husbandry methods
• Sustainable
commercialization
of farm products
Photo by Kelvin Owino.https://www.oneacrefund.org/blogs/tag/planting/58
A lack of mechanization or agricultural
technologies is creating a bottleneck in the level
of agricultural production
Objectives:
Bring about change in a variety of ways, including
recognizing the importance of mechanization in
intensifying agricultural production
• Developing new sources of farm machinery more
suitable for African conditions
• Environmentally sustainable mechanization
• We are starting with threshers because field prep
and planting mechanization will take longer to match
up to conservation agriculture research
• Threshers eventually need to address issues of
organic matter retention
• Sustainable business models (including gender equity)
• Public-private partnerships
• In-country capacity development
Issue:
How do we
prevent
adding to
the
equipment
graveyard
problem?
The women’s group in
Bulenga, Ghana had a
blacksmith in Wa build this
soybean thresher for a
cost of 750 cedis ($250) Photos courtesy of Fahimeh Baziari, US Peace Corps, Ghana
Strategy:
Create designs that can be built,
modified, and repaired
LOCALLY
1.Start with threshers because of post-
harvest loss and drudgery issues
associated with hand harvest
2.Create a well functioning prototype
and train local blacksmiths in its
production
3.Assist trainees in building businesses
through education and networking
4.Field test designs with local farmers
(existing women’s groups)
First design was geared towards
small groups of women• Design was too small for multiple users, too
expensive for just a few farmers ($1000 with
engine as half of cost)
• Women preferred to hire a male operator,
who needed greater capacity to be
profitable
• Unfamiliarity with engines and mech led to
issues with use
• Multi-crop thresher stated to be user
preference
• Now have larger threshers in
production and testing with service
providers or nucleus farmers as
targeted clients.
• Work with VSLAs to keep women as
potential owners.
• Work with an NGO (MEDA) which has
developed a network of female
growers as certified seed producers.
• Utilization and maintenance training
will be paramount
• Created a blacksmith
fabrication and business
development training
program in 2016
• Trained 12 blacksmiths
from three regions in Ghana
• Training funded by IFDC
ATT program, ACDI-VOCA
ADVANCE program and SIL
with CRS.
• 8 day training with
production of three
prototypes was $7,000 not
including thresher costs
• Attendees were additionally
provided seed money to
build their first thresher
• Seeking funding for
additional training
Gabriel Abdulai, Designer and Instructor
Training
There are also efforts in mechanization at other NGOs,
governmental workshops and academic institutions across
SSA.
Getting designs and prototypes into the hands of users
seems to be a major problem, largely due to low farm
income and lack of available financing.
Kwame Nkrumah Institute of Science and Technology, Kumasi Ghana
Gratis Foundation, Bolgatonga, Ghana
Tamale Implement Factory, Tamale, Ghana
There is also a large collective of local artisans/welders who are
working in agricultural mechanization. Most production is on
commission and done on a small order basis
Many of these designs are ‘reverse
engineered’ from locally available
imports and availability of materials
can be limiting.
Sometimes a
copied design
is missing an
integral
design factor.
Future work:
• Bring together designers, field testers, service
providers, fabricators and farmers
• Ensure that designs being commercialized are high
functioning and locally repairable
• Train, Train, Train in commercialization, fabrication,
utilization, maintenance, and repair
• Collaborate with anybody interested in mechanization
to increase the number of technologies available
• Make sure the needs of women farmers are addressed
Commercialization:
• Good product• Field testing is a must
• Ample supply• Industrialization of fabrication
• Privatization and investment
• Quality and cost control• Standardization
• Collaborations
• Customer demand• Knowledge and familiarity
• Credit• Testing of new models, such as cross-
industry cooperation
• Dealer investment
What is needed?• Can older western technology be
useful in Africa?
• Can we just reuse the old wheel
instead of reinventing the wheel
• Can technology be simpler and
smaller? (i.e. two-wheeled tractor)
• Technology must reduce workload (i.e. does a
hand push planter make planting more or less
difficult)
• Technology must address environmental
concerns (i.e. we retain organic matter in a
field when residue is run through a combine
harvester)
The Soybean Innovation Lab would
like to partner with other
organizations to address the issue
of minimal access to affordable
and useful mechanization stifling
agricultural intensification
The Soybean Innovation Lab is also developing a
‘Mechanization Network’ where groups and
individuals working on agricultural technology
can interact and share ideas and designs.
We hope to improve the visibility of groups
working in mechanization to foster improved
collaboration between technology providers and
users.
Please contact Kerry to be added to the network.
July 6, 2017 Webinar III
Imara Tech is a new start-up operating in Tanzania that produces agricultural machinery, with a
multi-crop thresher (MCT) being the first product. As part of its distributed manufacturing model,
Imara Tech establishes workshops in major agricultural regions to assemble, service, and repair
machines and to also headquarter regional sales teams. Elliot Avila is CEO and an MIT
graduate in MechE who loves taking ideas with high-impact potential and helping them thrive.
Imara focuses on entrepreneurial villagers who operate the MCT as a service business in their
community by ferrying the machine around on the back of a motorcycle and threshing
neighboring farmers’ crops. With this new source of income, the operator can earn up to ~$14
USD per hour.
David Wilson and Dr. John Lumkes from the Purdue Agricultural and Biological Engineering
department researched, designed and tested a multi-crop thresher for use in SSA. Thresher
fabrication training is also offered.
August 2, 2017 Webinar IV
Participants who are engaged in mechanization
programs and who would like to present in this
webinar series should contact:
Kerry Clark
Soybean Innovation Lab
http://soybeaninnovationlab.illinois.edu/