2. Status of mechanization and motorization

2.1 General

The percentage of the productive land that is tilled with motorized traction remains very low in Sub-Saharan Africa. Estimates range from 1% (FAO, 1987 and Gifford and Rijk, 1980 in FAO, 1995) to 4% (Mrema, 1992). Taking into account that more than half (FAO yearbooks, as in Caumont, et al., 1995) of the tractors are used in Southern Africa, the percentage of the total area cultivated with tractors in West Africa is practically negligible. Animals provide the power to an estimated 9% (FAO, 1987 and Gifford and Rijk, 1980 in FAO, 1995) to 16% (Mrema, 1992) of the area. This leaves 80 to 90% for cultivation by hand. The African farmer is generally referred to as a "hoe farmer. "Although a controversial claim, it is sometimes said that the degree of mechanization signifies the technological state of agriculture.

The questionnaire shows a similar result with the number of tractors being very low. Whereas Mrema (1992) estimates the area of cultivated land per tractor to be as much as 1094 ha in SSA, in West Africa it is even higher. For the countries that information was obtained from, this number is about 4,000 ha per tractor.

Table 1: Data on Tractorization in West-African countries

Country

area under cultivation ('000 ha)1)

number of tractors

area per tractor (ha)

Benin

1,3986)

1096)

12,825

Burkina Faso

6,833

19334)

3,535

Cap Verde

67

164)

4,187

Cote D'Ivoire

7,193

30003)

2,398

Gambia

334

1753)

1,909

Ghana

4,876

32995)

1,478

Guinea

4,592

1003)

45,920

Guinea-Bissau

1,420

194)

74,737

Liberia

639

3255)

1,966

Mali

8,318

2803)

29,707

Mauritania

1,079

1003)

10,790

Niger

11,097

1804)

61,650

Nigeria

32,474

11,9004)

2,729

Sao Tome and Principe

42

603)

700

Senegal

5,422

5003)

10,844

Sierra Leone

1,931

5504)

3,510

Togo

1,998

553)

36,327

Total

3,969

Average for SSA2)

1,094

1): Alexandratos (1995)

2): Mrema (1996)

3): this study

4): FAOSTAT

5): FAO 1994

6): Direction du Gènie Rural Bènin

 

Table 2, shown below, shows that the overall prevalent form of motorization in West Africa is the tractor with the disc plough, used in irrigated rice for primary tillage. The second most frequently used is the disc harrow, which is also used for upland cultivation. In most cases primary tillage is the only tillage operation before planting.

The agro-ecological variations in the region may influence the mechanization patterns found in the various countries. The climates in West Africa range from humid tropics and subtropics in the southern coastal regions to arid in the northern regions towards the Sahara Desert. In general terms, low precipitation and high temperatures increase the difficulty to achieve a sustainable soil/cropping system that preserves the soil (FAO, 1995b). This implies that, preferably, different tillage systems, using different means of mechanization and implements, should be used in the various agro-ecological zones of West Africa. The qualitative results of this study are not detailed enough to determine whether or not there are major regional differences in mechanization patterns. The data from Table 2 does not suggest any particular pattern, i.e., the preferred use of tractors in one region versus the use of power tillers in the other, or disc ploughs versus disc harrows for primary tillage. Togo reports the use of animal traction on fragile, shallow soils and mechanical traction on other soils. In Mali the choice between a disc plough and disc harrow is reportedly dependent on the type of soil.

Table 2: Prevailing means of motorization

Country

Prevailing means of motorization

Benin

  • Tractor and disc plough for primary tillage in maize and cotton

Côte D’Ivoire

  • Tractor and disc plough for primary tillage in rice

  • Power tiller and rotary cultivator for both primary tillage and secondary tillage in wetland rice

Gambia

  • Tractor and disc harrow or disc plough for primary tillage in dryland staple crops

Ghana

  • Tractor and disc plough for primary tillage in maize, cowpea and soybean

Guinea

  • Tractor and disc plough for primary tillage in rice

Mali

  • Tractor and disc harrow or disc plough for primary tillage in irrigated rice

Mauritania

  • Tractor and mouldboard plough or disc plough for primary tillage in irrigated rice

  • Tractor and disc harrow for secondary tillage in irrigated rice and dryland crops

Sao Tomé and Principe

  • Tractor and disc harrow for primary tillage in maize

  • Tractor and weeding harrow for secondary tillage in maize

Senegal

  • Tractor and disc plough for primary tillage in rice and in dryland and wetland cash crops

Togo

  • Tractor and disc plough or disc harrow for primary tillage in maize, sorghum, sesame, cotton and millet

  • Power tiller and mouldboard plough for staple crops, or rotary cultivator for rice and vegetable crops

      2.2 Primary tillage

      Primary tillage is the main tillage operation that is done in the beginning of the growing season. In the West African setting it is often the only operation done to prepare the seedbed , and in some cases sowing is done without any preceding tillage.

      The standard agricultural tractor dominates motorization for primary tillage. In most cases they are of European origin and of medium output of between 45 and 65 hp. Tractors are used in both dryland and wetland settings. To a lesser extend one-axle power tillers are used. Power tillers are most often used in irrigated and wetland rice production and in vegetable crops.

      The implement most often used for primary tillage with tractors is the disc plough, followed by the disc harrow and the mouldboard plough. Less common are rotary cultivators and ridging ploughs. In most cases power tillers are mounted with a rotary cultivator or a ploughing body.

      2.3 Secondary Tillage

      Secondary tillage implies the preparation of a seedbed after the first coarse primary tillage. Normally an implement that is used for primary tillage will not be used again for secondary tillage. The questionnaire showed that secondary tillage is rarely practised and if it is, it is usually done with the same implements that were used for primary tillage. This implies that the concept of secondary tillage has created some confusion. Most likely some respondents assumed that doing the same operation on one field twice is referred to as secondary tillage.

      Again, tractors, and to a lesser extent power tillers, are used with a wide range of implements, of which some are designated for secondary tillage, (i.e. spike harrows, disc harrows and multi-purpose toolbars) and some are not (i.e. disc ploughs, mouldboard ploughs, rotary cultivators and weeders). One respondent reported the use of tree branches pulled behind a tractor.

      2.4 Weeding

      Only three respondents reported the use of tractors for weeding. In two cases weeders were used, in one case a disc plough was reportedly used. The primary method for weeding is using a weeder/cultivator with animal traction, followed by hand labour (hoeing).

      2.5 Destumping and clearing of fields

      A wide variety of equipment is used for destumping and clearing of fields. This process generally requires considerable force and so heavier tractors (around 100 hp) and bulldozers are used. The implements reported were subsoilers, heavy chisel tines and heavy-duty disc harrows.

      2.6 Crops

      The most heavily motorized crop is rice. Both in dryland and wetland production power tillers and tractors are widely used. Percentages of the area for rice production that is motorized vary from 4% in Senegal and 30% in Guinea to 50% in Mauritania. Vegetable crops are also motorized but on a lower level. Senegal reports 2-3% of the vegetable crops to be motorized. The staple, mostly dryland, crops are the least motorized, less than 5%, although Benin reports that 45% of primary tillage in cotton and maize is motorized.

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