| Abstract |
A lack of labor is increasingly limiting the productivity of many smallholder farms. Adoption of sustainable intensification practices, such as conservation agriculture, is likely to worsen this issue, as they require more labor and more precision. Mechanization provides farming precision and control over resource allocation while decreasing physical labor. It incentivizes farmers to adopt sustainable intensification practices that seek to produce more food, improve nutrition and boost rural incomes without negative social or environmental impacts. Appropriately sized mechanization – such as multipurpose two-wheel tractors – meet smallholder farming needs, reduce drudgery and time to get produce to market. Private mechanization service provision in rural areas is a viable way to deliver agricultural machinery to the largest number of farmers, including the resource poor and womenheaded households. Mechanization creates viable employment opportunities for rural youth and women as service providers and market actors along the value chain. |
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