Sustainable Agriculture

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Biodiversity and organic farming
Biodiversity and organic farming is a method of farming which makes for food security, high productivity, soil conservation, and environmental protection.
For example, given that a farmer practices mixed farming, thus the farmer grows vegetables, tree crops, and in addition raises goats and sheets, birds, etc. the fact that the different vegetables and trees grow in different periods provide the farmer with food and income through-out the year. The eggs, milk, meat contributes to the households food needs and increases the household’s income. The weed that grows in the farm serves as feed for the livestock. This way we can reduce hunger, poverty, and improve the living standard of the rural poor whiles conserving their environment.
In view of this, TRACTOR advocates and supports farmers to practice biodiversity and organic farming.  There is widespread ignorance among the public with regards to the health, economic, environmental and developmental benefits of consuming organic foods. TRACTOR encourages the public to patronise organic foods, and lobbies the government to give more support to organic farming. TRACTOR works closely with stakeholders, and also creates the platform for these stakeholders, producers and retailers of organic foods, the public, and government to develop better ways of promoting the organic foods industry.
Also following the increasing demand for organic produce in developed countries, the objective is to encourage farmers to take advantage of these opportunities to increase their income and to improve their standard of living. According to the FAO 1 the demand for organic farm produce in developing countries is expected to grow by 5 to 10% annually to help meet demands.

1 see Rural 21 – 03/2010:5

Sustainable Agriculture Mechanization
A challenge for food production in Ghana is the low level of sustainable agriculture mechanisation. Sustainable agriculture mechanization partly accounts for increases agriculture productivity in other parts of the world that have experienced increase in agriculture productivity.
Sustainable Agriculture mechanization involves the use of tools and machine to improve efficiency of human time and labour without degrading quality of the soil or other factors of production. Sustainable Agriculture mechanization has demonstrated how the use of appropriate machines and tools can improve productivity.
Though most small-scale rural farmers desire to use machines they are constrained either because the machines are not available in their localities or they can’t afford the services of such machines.
At TRACTOR we provide training on sustainable agriculture mechanisation and assist farmers in choosing appropriate forms of mechanisation as the choice of any form of mechanization depends on the local climatic, agricultural, environmental, infrastructural, social and economic conditions prevailing 3.
The role of TRACTOR is very important and supported by the evidence that many state sponsored mechanization programmes have failed, and the call is on NGOs and the private sector to facilitate the mechanization of Agriculture.4

The call on NGOs and the private sector is confirmed by experience that “mechanization is most successful where there is private ownership of mechanization inputs.” 5

Additionally, TRACTOR assists disadvantaged farmers by providing subsidies, to help them acquire the services of farm machines to improve their productivity. This is done through the financial support of our partners.

Mechanisation Centres
Through a partnership with B-BOVID (an agriculture and agro-processing company), TRACTOR uses B-BOVID’s agriculture mechanization centres in the various districts of the western region to introduce farmers to sustainable agriculture mechanisation.
These mechanization centres are equipped with variety of agricultural machines and tools. The centre is used as a demonstration site, the farmers are educated on the various types of mechanization in agriculture and the criteria for selecting a mechanization type (experience across Africa shows that misapplication of mechanization has led to land degradation, soil erosion and low yield).
The mechanization centres also support out-growers and other small scale farmers with modern agriculture machines at subsidized rates.

Benefits of Agriculture Mechanisation

  • Mechanisation makes for lands that were previously unutilised to be cultivated. Wastelands, hard or wet soils that may be difficult to prepare with human labour, hoe and cutlass can be easily prepared into farm with the aid of farm machines. Cultivating unutilised lands could increase the volume of production, providing for food security and additional income for farmers.
  • Mechanisation makes for farmers to cultivate large tracts of land within a short time and thus making it possible to increase productivity. Where there is the need for harvesting and land preparing for sequential farming so as to farm throughout the year mechanisation is the most effective and efficient approach.  This also ensures regular supply of agriculture produce and revenue for farming households.
  • Farm Machines like tractors also serve as means for transporting farm produce from field to the depot or market. In rural farming communities with bad transport infrastructure tractors and other farm machines are able to drive through the bad roads that may not be accessible by other vehicles. These machines also help in dragging and pulling other heavy farm loads and machines. All these improve the capacity of farmers to increase their yield and to stay in business.
  • Taking into account the high rate of rural-urban migration, and other areas where farm labour may be limited, mechanisation can provide for the shortfall in labour to help ensure that adequate food is produced.
  • Agriculture mechanisation reduces the hardship that comes with hoeing large tracts, carrying heavy loads on the head, dragging and pulling, etc. Farmers are resourced with good health and more energy to carry-out other life activities aside farming. Thus helping improve the quality of life of farmers.

  • The use of machines helps mitigate the problem of low education and high school drop-outs in rural farming communities. Machines reduce the amount of time and work that children from farming households have to do, thus allowing them more time to attend school.    

3-ACP-EU Centre for Agriculture and Rural Cooperation, 1997:14, Integrating mechanization into strategies for sustainable agriculture, Seminar held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, November 24-29
4-(Ibid:9, 12)
5-Dominique Bordet, see Starkey, 1998:9
Starkey P (ed), 1998. Integrating mechanisation into strategies for sustainable agriculture.
Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), Wageningen, The Netherlands.
6-Starkey P (ed), 1998. Integrating mechanisation into strategies for sustainable agriculture.
Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), Wageningen, The Netherlands.