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We support smallholder family farms in Kenya.

Increase yield and nutrition

Smallholder family farms use innovative mechanisation solutions to increase sustainability in their business.

To this end, machinery rings have been established in two regions in western Kenya. The aim is to support smallholder family farms and SMEs in Western Kenya using innovative mechanisation solutions to increase sustainability in the management of their farms. Our member-based agricultural self-help organisations represent the adapted mechanisation of agriculture as a core concern. In addition, machinery rings work in the field of job placement, logistics within agricultural value chains, advisory services on agricultural business organisation and as an advisory and information service provider in the field of further education and training for their members. This improves the skills of the machinery ring members.

In a nutshell

The idea of a Machinery Ring

A machinery ring is a local self-help organisation of farmers who provide mutual support with mechanisation services. The machinery is individually owned and maintained but voluntarily made available to members of the machinery rings on a full cost basis. A member farmer can be a provider of one service while s/he hires a different service from a fellow farmer.

kenyan machinery rings

5.500

members

1-3 ha

Cultivated area per member

Interview with machinery ring members

The community helps.

Most family farms in Western Kenya operate on one to three hectares. Such small areas rule out self-mechanisation due to economic reasons, leaving only the option of working by hand or hiring contractors. But existing contractors use outdated technologies that result in low yields and low incomes. Additionally, soils are subject to constant degradation which is exacerbated by inappropriate farming and climate change. One key focus of the project is the introduction of innovative shallow to zero tillage implements by the machinery rings to rehabilitate degraded soils and to increase yields. Farmers and contractors will be able to rent these implements.

Knowledge transfer

Development cooperation

Independent farmer organisations, cooperatives and machinery rings are essential factors in joint development for modernising agriculture in Africa. They are engines for increasing the agricultural productivity. These are lessons learnt in the development of agriculture in Germany and in Europe. Many employees of the german machinery rings have well founded work experience abroad. They stand for a usage-based knowledge transfer from farmer to farmer.

Bungoma County

founded:

2021

members:

3.500

focus:

corn

machinery rings:

manager machinery ring:

Chris Onyango

Nyandarua County

founded:

2021

members:

2.000

focus:

potatoes, maize, milk production

machinery rings:

manager machinery ring:

Esther Atera

Digital learning platform

Education and vocational training are fundamental factors for sustainable economic development. In order to make the use of the machinery sustainable, the MR is involved in the education and training of its members in Kenya. The main focus is on the professional use of machinery and the improvement of cultivation conditions through small, practical units. The use of digital technologies has the potential to improve the quality of education and can complement practical training in many ways.

IT-Tool machinery ring

For the digital organisation of the machinery ring offices for member management, brokerage and billing of agricultural machines.

in progress

TOGETHER
WE SET
AGRICULTURE
INTO THE FUTURE

Contact

Lena-Maria Ruß

Projectmanager

lena-maria.russ@maschinenringe.com

+49 (0) 8431 6499-1060

Andreas Hastedt

MR Consultant

hastedt@mr-harburg.de

+49 (0) 4181-217560

Sophia-Magdalena Rommel

Projectmanager

sophia.rommel@maschinenringe.com

+49 (0) 8431 6499-1063

The GIZ is a service provider in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development and international education work. The organisation is committed to shaping a liveable future around the world. The GIZ has more than 50 years of experience in a wide range of areas, including economic development and employment promotion, energy and the environment, and peace and security. It also works with business as well as civil society actors and research institutions and promotes the successful interaction between development policy and other fields of policy and action. Its main client is the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The GIZ provides funding, as part of the Fund for the Promotion of Innovation in Agriculture (i4ag), a network of contacts and coordination for the implementation of the project carried out by sequa.

sequa.de/weltweit/projektdatenbank/maschinenringe-kenia-906/
weltohnehunger.org/

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