Farm Mechanization and Conservation Agriculture for Sustainable Intensification in Dry Areas: Business Model Development for “Boudour” Zero-Till Seeder in Algeria

Abstract

One of the main hindrances to the adoption of Conservation Agriculture (CA) is the limited availability of appropriate and affordable seeding machinery for small to medium sized land-holding farmers. The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) has built a strategic partnership in collaboration with national and private partners through different Projects to design, test, develop and scale up and out a low-cost seeder in different countries in the Middle East and North-African Countries.

In Algeria, ICARDA and its partners are working through the IFAD Funded CLCA Project phase (II) to develop financially viable business models for Zero-Till (ZT) service provision enterprises. The objective is to support the development of innovative business models and business plans suitable for small entrepreneurs willing to invest in machinery service delivery. An effective and profitable business model where both service providers and farmers can respectively achieve motivating benefits and reduced costs will certainly induce stronger scaling of CLCA technologies.

This fact sheet provides economic evidence about the profitability of investing in low cost and locally made ZT seeder (case of “Boudour”) under both scenarios – individually or through farmers’ associations (cooperatives).