Machinery package for mechanization service providers in Zimbabwe

Smallholder agricultural mechanization helps to reduce production cost and drudgery making agriculture more attractive to the youth. Successful mechanization in Zimbabwe relies on selection, validation, piloting and scaling of appropriate inexpensive machinery solutions adapted to farm size and financial ability smallholder farmers. Over the past decade, CIMMYT has tested, validated and piloted small scale machinery and business models suitable for southern African farmers. Based on the experiences and successful piloting, CIMMYT recommends the following machinery package for successful roll out through a Model. A service provider owns and maintains the machinery and operate it on a fee-for-service basis. The service fee is usually much cheaper for the endusers (farmers) compared to the cost of traditional practices and create a win-win situation that makes the business viable for both service providers and farmers.