Conditions for the Development of Sustainable Draft Animal Power Support Services in Sub-Saharan Africa: Farm Equipment

Abstract

Starting in the 1960s, programs that aimed to provide draft animal implements to farmers, located in Burkina Faso, North- Cameroon and Senegal, through import, then through local industrial manufacturers, were mainly financed by the output of peanut and cotton crops. In the 1980s and 1990s, drastic reductions in these financing system programs, particularly in Burkina Faso and Senegal, forced national industries to adjust and diversify their production tool. This situation was worsened by the devaluation of the CFA franc currency, which ended up in an increase in equipment prices. To face this brutal evolution, iron craftsmen gradually took over some of the responsibilities for maintenance and repair of draft animal equipment. Then, they started producing more or less complete draft animal equipment, using recovery raw materials to meet financial capabilities of farmers. However the sustainability of the artisanal agricultural equipment sector can only be insured if improvement of the quality of products, management and performances of workshops are guaranteed, as well as the training of craftsman groups to facilitate supply in raw materials and access to markets. In parallel, farmers’ organizations must structure and formalize members’ needs with regard to agricultural equipment.