1

Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization Strategies

Follow-up Meeting

17 May 2012

Bangkok, Thailand

Report

2

Executive Summary

On 17 May 2012, a Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization Strategy (SAMS)

Meeting was jointly convened by the United Nations Food and Agriculture

Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Asian and Pacific Centre for Agricultural

Engineering and Machinery (UNAPCAEM) This May meeting served as an initial

follow-up to the SAMS Roundtable held December 2011 at FAO’s Regional Office

for Asia-Pacific. The Roundtable, which established a platform for increased

substantive collaboration and tangible action on SAMS between FAO and

UNAPCAEM, addressed the modalities in developing Sustainable Agricultural

Mechanization Strategies (SAMS) that can enable countries to achieve the dual goals

of intensifying agricultural production and achieving environmental sustainability.

The latter is particularly important for the Asia-Pacific region, which is already

beginning to face serious environmental challenges to maintain its agricultural

production base.

The SAMS Roundtable also created a SAMS Framework with the overall strategic

goal “To address the UN Millennium Development Goals No. 1 and 7 (food security,

poverty alleviation, and environmental sustainability) through sustainable

intensification of agriculture by creating an enabling environment through a SAMS

for the Region.” This goal will be met through activities under five major strategic

pillars:

- Surveys, assessments and analyses of the current status of agricultural

mechanization

- Enabling policies and institutions

- Human capacity development

- Financial support to enhance investment in SAMS.

- Advocacy on sustainable agricultural mechanization.

The SAMS framework is not an end in itself but rather marks the beginning of a

long-term approach. Thus, this first post Roundtable meeting called on country

participants to develop an outline under strategic pillar 1. After a day of group work,

countries agreed upon 7 key areas to gather information on from their respective

country ministries including:

� General data

� Existing agricultural practices

� Machinery supply chains

� Policies that are relevant to/cover SAM

� Institutional linkages (intra-, inter-) SAM related

� Existing human capacity for SAMS

3

� Emerging innovative schemes with implications for SAMS

The Meeting was attended by country representatives in the area of agricultural

mechanization from Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua

New Guinea, Philippines, Russian Federation, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Viet Nam,

with all countries agreeing to share and present their findings at the next SAMS

activity to be held in Sri Lanka from 23-25 October 2012.

4

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary 2

Introduction 3

List of Annexes

1. Pillar 1 5

2. Meeting agenda 8

3. 17 May participant list 10

4. Project Concept Note: Mechanizing intercropping1 systems for

the sustainable intensification of agriculture and poverty reduction 14

Introduction

Why SAMS?

The development of sustainable agricultural mechanization strategies has an

important role to play in climate change and food security via reducing the impact on

fragile natural resources and increasing farming’s resiliency in the face of accelerating

erratic weather such as prolonged drought events. With a SAMS in place, a country

can choose the most sustainable path toward intensifying its agricultural production.

Agricultural mechanization is a key factor in the world’s ability to feed itself and

rapid mechanization in agriculture has allowed the sector to keep up with the demands

of population, particularly in the Asia-Pacific Region, despite the fact that the total

labour force involved in agricultural activities is experiencing annual declines.

However, current agricultural mechanization practices have increased pressure on

fragile natural resources, such as increasing soil erosion and promoting overuse of

chemical inputs, the latter seen in heavy utilization of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers in

crop production typically resulting in significantly more nitrous oxide (N2O)

emissions from agricultural soils than that occurring from less intensive, low-tillage

techniques.

Mechanization also plays a role in enticing farmers to open lands that currently serve

as valuable forests and rangelands. In addition, the agricultural sector as a whole

consumes more than 70 per cent of the world’s total fresh water resources.

In short, the margin of error in our actions to address rapid recourse depletion, yet

feed more people than any time in the history of our planet, is narrowing rapidly.

1 The cultivation of two or more crops in combination in the same field at the same time is known as intercropping

5

Coupled with increasingly erratic weather events, such as prolonged flooding and

drought, the task ahead for the agricultural sector is daunting.

Thus, SAMS should not be viewed as a strategy just for countries with low levels of

agricultural mechanization, but SAMS should also serve as an instrument for

countries that have obtained a high level of mechanization to adjust their mechanized

farming towards more environmentally sustainable intensive production.

At the same time SAMS should also provide guidance for stakeholders in SAM to

arrive at economically sustainable models for service providers in mechanization.

Annex 1: Pillar 1 outline

Reg.- SAMS Strategic pillar 1

Country-Level Surveys and Assessments of the Current Status of Sustainable

Agricultural Mechanization

Outline

1. General data

• Economic indicators

• Physical environment: soil and its importance according to the region, the

water potential, fertility, the yearly precipitation and temperatures and their

distribution throughout the year and according to region, days of work in the

possible fields per month, the zones bioclimatiques…

• Population: total population disaggregated by age, sex and residence

(rural/urban) and annual growth rate, projections, life expectancy, nutrition,

caloric intake, health, literacy,…

• Infrastructure status of road system, Railways facilities, Animal health

services

2. Existing agricultural practices

• Types of crops, cropping systems and agricultural practices related to these

crops (e.g. including intercropping – corn/oil palm, carrots/onions…. )

• Agricultural practices that are in decline and practices that are increasing

(sustainable and unsustainable)

• Farmer categories, farm size and labor availability

• Gender roles in agricultural production systems

• Level of mechanization in each operation (production, harvesting…..)

• Mechanization technologies (including Conservation Agriculture) suited to

specific agro-ecological zones

• Consequences of inappropriate equipment use

6

• Machinery – type and size, scale, cost (including operating and servicing cost)

• General constraints

3. Machinery supply chains

Stakeholders

• Manufacturers of machinery (locally produced, imported)

o Scale of machinery production (number, type…)

o Sources of imported machinery (cost/$ value of imports; number..)

• Dealers and sub-dealers

• Service providers (custom hiring, financial services, repair and maintenance)

• Individual owners

• Extension agents

System of organization of stakeholders

o Individual owners

o Cooperatives (clusters, other types of groups)

o Manufacturing and supply associations

Inputs and Quality Management

• Spare parts

• Raw materials and components

• Testing and standardization

• Safety and quality control

4. Policies that are relevant to/cover SAM

• Agriculture and trade policy (including financial policy)

• Industrial and trade policy

• Environment policy

• Labor policy

• Land tenure legislation and land use

• Insurance

• Role of SAM in national agricultural development plans

5. Institutional linkages (intra-, inter-) SAM related

• Financial institutions

• Research and extension institutions, Universities, Manufacturers

• Private sector (importers and manufacturers)

• Public-private linkages (e.g. John Deere scheme)

7

• NGOs

• Government (Extension institutions)

• Farmer Associations

• Testing and standardization organizations

6. Existing human capacity for SAMS

• Research and development

• Extension

• Testing and quality control

• Training (vocational, academic, short-term focused training on specific

topics)

• Technical specializations and multidisciplinarity

• Repair and maintenance

• Manufacturing

• Information dissemination and promotion

7. Emerging innovative schemes with implications for SAM

• Climate smart agriculture2 (environmentally sustainable)

• Equipment innovations (Mechanized intercropping - ag machinery adapted

for intercropping, flex-fuel machinery…)

• Payment of environmental services

• Carbon credits for no-till agriculture

• Biofuels and renewable energy

• Renewable energy and energy efficient equipment (solar energy, etc.)

2 FAO Climate Smart agriculture: http://www.fao.org/climatechange/climatesmart/en/

8

Annex 2: 17 May meeting agenda

DRAFT AGENDA

Meeting on Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization Strategies (SAMS) for

Countries in the Asia-Pacific Region

17 May 2012

Purpose: This Meeting brings together key country stakeholders and experts

on agricultural mechanization to discuss the modalities of advancing

Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization Strategies including developing an

action plan articulate a SAMS workplan, discuss complimentary activities

under SAMS and gain formal interest in conducting SAMS in individual

countries.

17 May 2012

8h30 – 9h00 Registration

9h00 – 9h30

Opening Remarks

• Mr. Hiroyuki Konuma

Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative

FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

• Mr. Josef Kienzle, Agricultural Engineer (Unit Leader)

Agricultural Machinery and Infrastructure Unit (AMI) Rural

Infrastructure & Agro-Industries Division (AGS), FAO

• Ms. Rosa Rolle, Senior Agro-Industry and Post Harvest

Officer, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

• Mr. Eric Roeder, Economic Affairs Officer UNAPCAEM

9h30 – 9h45 Participant introductions

9h45 –11h30 Group work on developing an outline for pillar 1

Facilitators: Ms. Rosa Rolle, Josef Kienzle, and Eric Roeder

11h30 -12h30 Lunch

12h30 –

15h00

Pillar 1 group work (continued)

15h00 – Coffee Break

9

15h15

15h00 –

16h00

Brief Wrap-up and discussion on the next SAMS Meeting in

October in Sri Lanka

16h00 –

16h15

Closing statements

• Mr. Hiroyuki Konuma

Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative

FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

• Mr. Josef Kienzle, Agricultural Engineer (Unit Leader)

Agricultural Machinery and Infrastructure Unit (AMI) Rural

Infrastructure & Agro-Industries Division (AGS), FAO

• Ms. Rosa Rolle, Senior Agro-Industry and Post Harvest

Officer, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

• Mr. Eric Roeder, Economic Affairs Officer UNAPCAEM

10

Annex 3: 17 May meeting participants list

UNAPCAEM and FAO Joint Meeting on Sustainable

Agricultural Mechanization in Asia

Bangkok, Thailand, 17 May 20123

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVES4

CHINA

Mr. Xiongbo Chang

Deputy Director of Agricultural machinery maintenance division

China Agricultural Machinery Testing Center

INDONESIA

Mr. Eddy Trijono

Head of AMTQI

Jl Pos Citayam,Bojong Pondok Terong, Cipayung, Depok 16431

MALAYSIA

Mr. Mohd Zainal Ismail

Director

Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI)

Mechanization and Automation Centre, MARDI

PO Box 12301

Kuala Lumpur 50774

MONGOLIA

Mr. D.Galsanbuyan,

Head of Agricultural Machinery Division of the Crop Production Support Fund

Ministry of Food and Agriculture and Light Industry

13381 Zasgiin gazriin IX bair

Enkhtaivnii urgun chuluu 16 a

3 This is the first follow-up meeting since the SAMS Roundtable held in Dec. 2011.

4 Representatives from Bangladesh and India were unable to attend but did however submit research reports

11

NEPAL

Mr. Shreemat Shrestha

Senior Scientist

Agricultural Engineering Division

Nepal Agricultural Research Council

Khumaltar, Lalitpur

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Mr. Nosare Maika

Position: Senior Scientist

Address: PO Box 1639, Lae, Morobe Province

PHILIPPINES

Mr. Delfin Suministrado, Director

Agricultural Machinery Testing and Evaluation Center, College of Engineering and

Agro-Industrial Technology, University of the Philippines Los Baños, College,

Laguna, Philippines

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Mr. Oleg Marchenko

Head of Department of All-Russian Research Institute for Mechanization in

Agriculture (VIM)

1st Institutsky proezd, 5, VIM, 109428, Moscow, Russian Federation

SRI LANKA

Eng. M.H.M.A. Bandara

Chief Engineer

Department of Agriculture

Peradeniya

THAILAND

Mr. Viboon Thepent

Senior Agricultural Engineering Specialist

Department of Agriculture

Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives

Jatuchak

Bangkok 10900

VIET NAM

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Viet

Head of Department of Science

Training and International Cooperation

Vietnam Institute of Agricultural Engineering

and Post-harvest Technology (VIAEP)

12

No. 126, Trung Kinh Str.,

Trung Hoa, Cau Giay, Hanoi

REGIONAL ORGANISATIONS

ENTAM

Dr. Agr. Sandro Liberatori

General Director

ENAMA - Ente Nazionale Meccanizzazione Agricola Via Venafro, 5

00159 ROMA – ITALY

FAO (Rome)

Mr. Josef Kienzle

Agricultural Engineer (Unit Leader)

Agricultural Machinery and Infrastructure Unit (AMI)

FAO Rural Infrastructure and Agro-industries Division (AGS)

Viale delle Terme di Caracalla

00153 Rome

Italy

FAO (Bangkok)

Mr. Hiroyuki Konuma

Assistant Director General and Regional Representative

FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

Maliwan Mansion

39 Phra Athit Road

Bangkok 10200

Thailand

Ms. Rosa Rolle

Senior Agro-Industry and Post-harvest Officer

FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

Maliwan Mansion

39 Phra Athit Road

Bangkok 10200

Thailand

13

Mr. Yuji Niino

Land Management Officer

FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

Maliwan Mansion

39 Phra Athit Road

Bangkok 10200

Thailand

UNAPCAEM

Eric Roeder

Economic Affairs Officer

United Nations Asian and Pacific Centre for

Agricultural Engineering and Machinery (UNAPCAEM)

A-7/F, China International Science and Technology Convention Centre

No. 12 Yumin Road

Chaoyang District

Beijing 100029, P.R. China