AGCO to build new Future Farm project, which will help to impart knowledge to farmers in the country
Image: AGCO’s groundbreaking ceremony. Photo: Courtesy of AGCO Corporation.
American agricultural equipment maker AGCO has broken ground on a new Future Farm project at a 150-hectare farm outside Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia.
Upgrades for Phase II of the Future Farm will include construction of student and staff accommodation with 24 rooms, communal amenities including canteen to accommodate more than 80 people, and an Insaka homestead, a traditional complex of grass gazebos with a central courtyard to encourage interactive learning.
The second phase will also include upgrades to existing road and farm infrastructure, digitising the mechanisation and agronomy training material to make sure that knowledge can be accessed even by farmers in remote parts of the continent.
AGCO Asia Pacific and Africa (APA) senior vice president and general manager Gary Collar said: “When we conceptualized the Future Farm, our aim was to be a catalyst in the development of a sustainable and prosperous agricultural industry across the continent, with innovative solutions built around the needs of African farmers.
“To achieve this we are designing our solutions with Africa in mind and ensuring that we can support our products and customers, locally.”
AGCO Africa vice president and general manager Nuradin Osman explained that the company’s strategy in Africa is to empower the continent’s farmers as global agri-preneurship is shifting focus to see the continent as the answer to global agricultural expansion and food security.
It is in-line with the company’s vision to develop its business operations and support sustainable food production, increase farm productivity by implementing modern farming techniques, and develop a range of training courses for farmers, machine operators and dealers in Africa.
The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by AGCO Asia Pacific and Africa (APA) senior vice president and general manager Gary Collar, Future Farm senior manager Kalongo Chitengi, senior chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II, Chongwe District Commissioner Robster Mwanza and US Embassy in Zambia Political and Economic Section Chief Doreen Bailey.
While the Future Farm project is committed to supporting African farmers to be owners of agribusinesses, the company also stated that the private sector might not be able to achieve sustainable agricultural sector in the continent alone. Other constraints that slow down the progress must be tackled in parallel with governments.