| Abstract |
The agricultural mechanization in Zimbabwe has evolved over time especially amongst the smallholder farmers. The land reform has played a role in the machinery needs of the farmers. The land system used to be dualistic in nature with small scale and large scale faming sectors. The land reform created different category of farms with different land holding sizes and varying machinery requirements. The agricultural mechanization market is dominated by the 4WT actors. The supply chain actors include importers/dealer, manufacturers, distributors and end-users. The distribution network channels exist cross the country and some actors have field agents. The 2WT market is characterized by few actors and low uptake. The policy environment is supportive of the industry and currently offers free import duty on importation of agricultural machinery. The 2WT provides services that range from ripping, planting, fertilizer application, boom spraying, transportation, grass cutting, milling, shelling, threshing and water uplifting. They are mainly imported from China and have varying horse power capacity. Limited financial resources and lack of technology awareness have been noted as some of the main constraints that have hindered utilization of 2WT in the two project sites of Domboshava and Makonde. Interventions and strategic actions required for the 2WT uptake include: Provision of policy framework document that guides agricultural mechanization. Enhancing access to mechanization inputs and servic es for different farmers (groups/end-users). Service Provider capacity building. Enhancing access to credit. The implementation of the strategic options in conjunction with the business models will therefore enhance technology/product development, usage and adoption amongst smallholder farmers. |
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