Toward a Green Revolution in Sub-Saharan Africa: Farm Mechanization in the Mwea Irrigation Scheme

Abstract

Governments in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have made concerted efforts to improve farmers’ adoption of modern technologies in their farm operations to realize a rice Green Revolution, improve food security, and alleviate poverty. However, smallholder farmers’ access to farm mechanization in SSA remains constrained due to supply-side and demand-side challenges. On the supply side, the market for agricultural machinery services is often underdeveloped. On the demand side, the smallholders with inadequate knowledge of improved rice cultivation practices have limited demand for mechanized services despite increasing wage rates. This study analyzes the mechanization process of rice farmers in the Mwea Irrigation Scheme, Kenya. The Mwea Irrigation Scheme is the most advanced rice production area in SSA, with farmers familiar with improved rice cultivation practices, well-functioning input credit markets, and millers adopting modern milling technologies, enabling local rice to compete with imported Asian rice. Analyzing original data collected in 2011, 2016, and 2018, we found that most farmers in Mwea implemented rotavation using tractor services provided by farmers’ cooperatives, while they implemented leveling using draft animals. Non-cooperative members reduced tractor use and adopted draft animals to implement both harrowing and leveling, implying the importance of a well-developed mechanization service market.