News & Events
New Partnership and Strategic Alliances: A Boost to Promotion of Sustainable Agriculture in Africa
On 7th February, 2019, at FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy, the Africa Conservation Tillage Network (ACT) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to synergize on the scaling up of Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization and Conservation Agriculture in Africa, which has the potential to transform the lives and livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers. This partnership framework will facilitate alliances framed on the need to unblock pervasive hindrances to massive adoption of sustainable agriculture, anchored on commercial, environmental, and socio-economic sustainability.
The signing of this MOU forms a new partnership in realization of the FAO and African Union Commission (AUC) Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization Framework (SAMA-F) for Africa. ACT and FAO have worked closely with farmers and value chain actors to promote mechanization hire services, provide directions for investments for sustainable mechanization, and pilot mechanization and digitalization innovations adapted specifically to local contexts. This partnership has supported farmers in making the transition from subsistence farming to commercial and market-oriented farming.
In collaboration with the African Union Commission, ACT and FAO have been working to raise awareness on new ways of funding sustainable agricultural mechanization and develop capacity for mechanization, hire service providers, and support policymakers in support of the implementation of the Framework for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization for Africa (F-SAMA). Launched in 2018 by the African Union and FAO, the F-SAMA emphasizes the need for mainstreaming sustainable agricultural mechanization in agricultural development programmes, aiming to move smallholders from hand tool-based labor to innovative technologies. Sustainable mechanization cuts working time, relieves labor shortages, raises productivity, encourages youth to enter agriculture, and also aids in the efficient use of agricultural resources, helping mitigate the effects of climate change by reducing harmful emissions and increasing farmer resilience.
