By Brandon Moss | AgriFocus Africa

Africa has intensified efforts to close its long-standing agricultural mechanization gap as leaders, policymakers and development partners convened in Tanzania this week for a landmark regional conference focused on sustainable farm mechanization.

The push gained momentum with the official launch of Tanzania’s National Agricultural Mechanization Strategy 2026–2036 by Prime Minister Mwigulu L. Nchemba at the opening of the Africa Conference on Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization.

The conference is organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and hosted by the Government of Tanzania, bringing together governments, private-sector players, researchers, development partners, youth organisations and farmers to identify scalable solutions for accelerating mechanization across the continent.

Mechanization as a Strategic Imperative

Opening the conference, Prime Minister Nchemba described mechanization as essential to Africa’s agricultural future.

“Through action, we can change Africa’s agriculture into a mechanized sector that is sustainable, for this generation and future generations,” he said.

He noted that Tanzania’s new 10-year strategy is aligned with the FAO–African Union Framework for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization in Africa (F-SAMA) and places women and youth at the centre of agricultural transformation.

The conference marks the first regional gathering since the global mechanization conference and exhibition held in Rome in 2023, signalling a shift from global commitments toward Africa-led implementation.

Rethinking Mechanization Models

FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol stressed that past mechanization approaches had often failed due to poor local adaptation and weak support systems.

“Mechanization today cannot look like mechanization of the past,” she said. “Shipping in large machines without financing, training, repair services or local adaptation has not delivered lasting results. Africa does not need more equipment sitting idle. It needs systems that work.”

Bechdol emphasised that sustainable mechanization should be seen as an enabler of productivity and dignity rather than a replacement for labour, reducing drudgery while improving efficiency and inclusion — particularly for women farmers.

African Union Backs Mechanization Drive

The African Union also reinforced the importance of mechanization to Africa’s development agenda. AU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment Moses Vilakati described mechanization as both an economic and social priority.

“Our mechanization agenda is also a dignity agenda,” Vilakati said, highlighting its role in improving livelihoods and restoring the attractiveness of agriculture to young people.

Why the Mechanization Gap Matters

Africa continues to lag behind other regions in farm power availability. While much of Asia and the Near East rapidly expanded tractor and machinery use, many African farmers remain dependent on manual or animal labour.

Despite holding around 202 million hectares of uncultivated arable land — nearly half of the world’s total — Africa’s crop yields average only 56% of global levels. Although roughly 60% of Africa’s population depends on agriculture for livelihoods, the sector contributes just about 21% of GDP.

Past mechanization efforts often struggled due to inappropriate equipment, limited access to spare parts, weak repair services and insufficient financing models tailored to smallholder systems.

A New Generation of Solutions

FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa Abebe Haile-Gabriel said embracing mechanization alongside digitalisation and innovation could fundamentally reshape Africa’s agrifood systems.

Across the continent, a new mechanization ecosystem is emerging, combining:

• Compact, context-appropriate machinery
• Digital platforms for machinery hire and shared services
• Drones and precision agriculture tools
• New job categories such as machine operators, technicians, drone pilots and data analysts

During the opening session, FAO Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Africa Fatmata Binta shared an example from a joint FAO project supporting fonio processing.

“When we invested in fonio processing machines, what was once a burden became an opportunity,” she said. “Mechanization gave women back their time, their energy and their motivation.”

Looking Ahead

Over the coming days, FAO is expected to reaffirm its support to African member states in adopting sustainable mechanization strategies. Conference sessions will focus on youth employment, digital transformation, financing mechanisms and private-sector investment, alongside field visits to a youth incubation centre and a rice mechanization cooperative.

As Africa seeks to boost productivity, create jobs and strengthen food security, sustainable agricultural mechanization is increasingly seen as a cornerstone of long-term agrifood system transformation.