23/09/2024

Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization through Farmer Field Schools

Despite technological progress over the past century, smallholder agriculture in many developing countries still faces drudgery and inefficiency. The limited adoption of sustainable mechanization continues to impede agricultural productivity and food security, particularly in rural areas.

In an effort to address these challenges, FAO has launched the Global Innovation Challenge on Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization (SAM) through Farmer Field Schools (FFS) for small-scale producers. FAO invited country offices to submit proposals showcasing innovative ways to incorporate SAM into their FFS programmes in order to boost agricultural productivity, increase incomes, create employment, and promote sustainable business models.

The Global Innovation Challenge received 40 applications from FAO country offices across all regions. After a competitive selection process, eight countries were chosen to further refine their innovative approaches in a Bootcamp from 12 to 14 November 2024 in Rome. The selected country offices are FAO Kenya, Uganda, Bangladesh, Mauritania, Zimbabwe, Philippines, Rwanda and Nepal.

The bootcamp offers the selected participants an intensive training to enhance their capacity to deploy SAM solutions through FFS. Attendees will explore SAM business models, and identify appropriate mechanization technologies and partners for field implementation. Additionally, the bootcamp will focus on improving participants’ skills for proposal development, while guiding them to create tailored action plans for mainstreaming SAM within FFS initiatives, and to explore opportunities for resource mobilization to support their projects.

At the end of the bootcamp, each country team will pitch their proposal to a selection panel. At least two FAO country offices will receive full support in the form of grants up to USD 300,000, while the remaining six will receive soft support, including advisory services and technical guidance from FAO headquarters through 2024-2026. The FAO country offices will lead the execution of the proposed interventions at the country level, utilizing the skills and knowledge gained.

This Global Innovation Challenge reflects FAO’s commitment to addressing the pressing need for sustainable mechanization solutions in smallholder farming systems. By integrating SAM into the successful FFS model, this initiative will contribute to more resilient, productive, and sustainable agricultural systems globally.