News & Events
ACT Network Participation at The First Ever Global Conference on Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization
The African Conservation Tillage Network (ACT) felt honored to be part of the first-ever Global Conference on Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) from September 27-29, 2023, in Rome, Italy. The event provided a platform that enabled diverse and open sharing of experiences, innovations, and information on Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization (SAM), thereby fostering learning and widespread awareness and interest in the adoption and scaling up of SAM technologies and innovations. The discourse during the event involved taking stock, reflecting, and organizing further actions on what is necessary for agricultural mechanization transformation and how to effectively promote appropriate SAM to make the transformation a reality for all farmers.
Saidi Mkomwa, Executive Director and CEO of ACT, chaired a session under thematic session 6 on Inclusive Business Models and Multi-stakeholder Engagement. The session focused on issues related to small-scale farmers, women, and youth and suggested ways to develop new business models by engaging multi-stakeholder players in the promotion, management, and operation of modern agricultural equipment and machinery. Saidi Mkomwa also made a presentation at the GAMC side event titled ‘Using Precision Seeding to Optimize Crop Yield.' His address was focused on "the potential benefits of precision seeding technologies and how to enhance adoption by smallholder farmers."
In addition, Prof. El Hassane Bourarach, ACT technical advisor, participated in this global event and made a presentation titled ‘Creating sustainable institutions and long-term vision frameworks for SAM in Africa’ during the thematic session on Business Models and Multi-stakeholder Engagement. In his presentation, El Hassane stressed the need to accommodate the ‘AfricaMechanize’ platform in Africa as a starting point for stakeholders’ engagement, giving some examples where the platform, facilitated by the African Union Commission (AUC), United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and ACT, has been utilized to organize a series of SAM webinars, support the establishment of a network of Directors of Agricultural Mechanization and Engineering Services (DAMES) across Africa, and enhance capacity building for mechanization service providers.
ACT is dedicated to improving agricultural productivity through the promotion and adoption of sustainable agricultural mechanization technologies, conservation agriculture practices, and sustainable management of natural resources in African farming systems and will continue to build, promote, and commit to mutual collaboration, partnerships, and networking, drawing on collective synergies and complementarities. ACT is committed to implementing the conference's call to actions resolutions in Africa as part of the F-SAMA operationalization efforts.
ACT sincerely appreciates and acknowledges FAO for organizing such a high-profile and first-ever global event on SAM. The event has clearly set the pace for SAM revolutions and mechanizing the globe equitably. ACT is indebted to FAO for its participation.
