Mechanized Cassava Planting and Harvesting

Empowering Cassava Farmers: More Yield, Less Labor, Better Quality

Mechanized cassava planting and harvesting technology is a specialized machinery of two-row planters and harvesters, typically operated by tractors. This technology significantly improves the efficiency of cassava farming by reducing labor requirements, increasing productivity, and minimizing root damage during harvesting. It not only addresses the labor bottleneck associated with manual planting and harvesting but also plays a vital role in increasing cassava yields, making cassava farming more competitive, and reducing production costs.

This technology is TAAT1 validated.

8•7

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 8/9; level of use 7/9

Project adoption1

Technology integrated in the ENSURE project.

See project details ›

13 USD/ha

Cost of mechanized planting

25 USD/ha

Cost of mechanized harvesting

IP

Open source / open access

Problem

Low production output: Low cassava yields limit the volume of roots available for sale or processing.
High labor requirements: Manual planting and harvesting require large amounts of labor, increasing operational demands.
High production costs: Labor intensive operations increase the cost of establishing and harvesting cassava fields.
Limited operational capacity: Slow manual operations restrict the area that farmers and commercial producers can plant and harvest within a production season.
Harvest losses: Root damage during manual harvesting reduces the quantity of cassava suitable for sale or processing.
Reduced competitiveness: Low productivity and high labor requirements can make cassava production less competitive compared with more efficient production systems.

Solution

Higher production output: Mechanized production can increase cassava yields and the volume of roots available for sale or processing.
Reduced labor requirements: Mechanical planters and harvesters reduce dependence on large manual workforces.
Lower production costs: Mechanized planting and harvesting can reduce operational costs compared with manual operations. The e catalog reports costs of approximately USD 13/ha for mechanized planting and USD 25/ha for mechanized harvesting.
Greater operational capacity: Mechanical equipment enables producers to plant and harvest larger areas within shorter periods.
Reduced harvest losses: Mechanical harvesting minimizes root damage and helps preserve the quality and quantity of cassava available for sale.
Improved competitiveness: Higher productivity, lower labor requirements, and reduced production costs can improve the competitiveness of cassava production.

Key points to design your business plan

The Mechanized Cassava Planting and Harvesting technology may be of interest to fleet managers, and users (farmers).

Fleet managers

Introducing mechanized combines to the farming world can significantly reduce harvest losses commonly experienced. To effectively enter this market, consider the following steps:

Source the equipment from countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Identify efficient transportation methods and suitable storage facilities for the equipment.

Determine the cost based on the size of the technology. Factor in transport costs, import duties, and taxes.

Enhance fleet management with tools like the Hello Tracteur app, available for free on the App Store. This app can optimize operational efficiency by providing detailed reports for precise adjustments.

Target potential customers such as farmers, development projects, and farmers' cooperatives or associations.

Users

Utilizing mechanized cassava planting and harvesting technology can lead to significant improvements.

Key partners include sellers or fleet managers of mechanized equipment for cassava planting and harvesting.

In terms of cost structure, considering the cost of mechanized planting (13 USD/ha) is relatively lower than manual planting (29 USD/ha). Harvesting cost under mechanized operation (25 USD/ha) is lower than under manual operation (61 USD/ha).. Factor in delivery costs, import duties, and taxes, considering the technology's sourcing from countries like Tanzania, Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia.

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

The poor: Positive low

Under 18: Positive low

Women: Positive low

Climate adaptability: Moderately adaptable

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

Biodiversity: No impact on biodiversity

Carbon footprint: Same amount of carbon released

Environmental health: Greatly improves environmental health

Soil quality: Does not affect soil health and fertility

Water use: Same amount of water used

Scaling Readiness describes how complete a technology's development is and its ability to be scaled. It produces a score that measures a technology's readiness along two axes: the level of maturity of the idea itself, and the level to which the technology has been used so far.

Each axis goes from 0 to 9 where 9 is the “ready-to-scale” status. For each technology profile in the e-catalogs we have documented the scaling readiness status from evidence given by the technology providers. The e-catalogs only showcase technologies for which the scaling readiness score is at least 8 for maturity of the idea and 7 for the level of use.

The graph below represents visually the scaling readiness status for this technology, you can see the label of each level by hovering your mouse cursor on the number.

Scaling readiness score of this technology

Maturity of the idea 8 out of 9

Uncontrolled environment: tested

Level of use 7 out of 9

Common use by projects NOT connected to technology provider

Maturity of the idea										Level of use
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9

Project	Countries	Beneficiaries	Budget (USD) & duration	Key figures
ENSURE Enabling Environments for Sustainable Regional Agriculture Extension	Kenya Rwanda Burundi Democratic Republic of the Congo South Sudan Uganda Tanzania	Direct: 3,000,000	13.14 million 2024–2027	149,940 farmers trained 9,996 Training 2→3.5 tons/ha cereals production expected 350 agent trained

Project

Countries

Beneficiaries

Budget (USD) & duration

Key figures

ENSURE
Enabling Environments for Sustainable Regional Agriculture Extension

Kenya
Rwanda
Burundi
Democratic Republic of the Congo
South Sudan
Uganda
Tanzania

Direct: 3,000,000

13.14 million

2024–2027

149,940 farmers trained
9,996 Training
2→3.5 tons/ha cereals production expected
350 agent trained

Figures in italic are from project plans and may change during implementation.

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Ghana	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Nigeria	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Tanzania	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Zambia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid
Semiarid
Subhumid
Humid

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 2: zero hunger

Goal 5: gender equality

Goal 13: climate action

The steps involved in mechanized cassava planting and harvesting are:

Mechanical Planting:

Farm Preparation: Prior to mechanical planting, prepare the farm for cassava cultivation.
Choose the Planter: Select a two-row or four-row mechanical planter designed for flat ground.
Tractor Selection: Ensure you have a tractor with a minimum power of 90 hp (67.14 kW) to operate the planter.
Stake Cutting: Install a power take-off (PTO) driven circular saw to cut cassava stakes into cuttings, typically ranging from 14 ± 3 cm to 149 ± 3 cm in length.
Planting Depth: Maintain a planting depth between 60 and 100 mm below the soil surface.
Spacing: Plant cassava with a row spacing of 700 mm, and no ridges are needed for this model of planter.

Mechanical Harvesting:

Select the Harvester: Choose a two-row or four-row harvester, similar to the planter, for mechanical harvesting.
Tractor Requirements: Ensure you have a tractor with a minimum power of 120 hp (89.52 kW) to operate the harvester.
Digging Depth: Maintain a digging depth between 300 to 400 mm.
Harvesting Rate: Mechanical harvesting can achieve a rate between 0.3 and 0.5 hectares per hour (ha/h).