The features of Mingsin walking tractor.

Many African farmlands are still cultivated with hand hoes and agricultural processes are done manually thanks to the prohibitive costs of machinery from the West and a gradual devaluation of African currencies. This has led to very high costs of agricultural inputs and stunted progress toward full-scale mechanization of farm productivity

If agricultural mechanization efforts are to succeed in Africa, there is an urgent need for all concerned be they farmers, supporters, planners or policymakers to understand and contribute to agricultural mechanization efforts in Africa across the entire farming systems and the value chain.

On average, 700-1,850 tractors are in operation per 1,000 farmers in Europe and North America. But exceptionally low levels of mechanization can be observed in many developing countries and in Africa's case, a mere five tractors are in operation in a population of 1,000 farmers. This clearly illustrates the urgent need to fill the gap for rural farmers to have a realistic chance of having regular access to tractor services for their smallholding farms.

On the other hand, Western technology, once the preferred choice when it comes to farm machinery, has become increasingly expensive and less suitable for Kenyan smallholder farmers over the years. A single European-made tractor goes for an average of US$11,425, and this figure is hard to raise quickly for an average smallholder farmer in rural areas. The prohibitive costs involved have made it almost impossible for these farming communities to procure tractor services.

This state of affairs is set to change owing to a handful of Chinese hand tractor companies that have set up shop in Africa. The Mingsin brand is the most prominent. The Mingsin walking tractor is fast, strong, and most importantly fuel-efficient and affordable. The machine is easy to operate. Mingsin designed a product that is relevant, accessible and convenient; a hand tractor that has convinced the majority of small-hold farmers that it's made exclusively for their needs.

The Mingsin walking tractor is not large so it's not expensive to own for farmers with marginal holdings; it's a tractor they understand and identify with. The 15 HP diesel walking tractor comes with additional implements such as anti-wrapping blades and is therefore able to plow, make ridges, and dig trenches for planting. The hand tractor can also be modified to pump water for irrigation by attaching a small pump of 10 meters suction depth, ideal for pumping distances between 30 to 100 meters and best for watering small horticultural gardens.

A 10 HP version is also available, it works perfectly with few maintenance needs and low fuel consumption. These machines come with attachments like metal wheels, a ditch opener, and tilling blades.

According to the company CEO,  the hand tractor is more than a motor and wheels; it is a way of life and a source of livelihood for hundreds of small-scale farmers who have been introduced to it. The Mingsin walking tractors are facilitating a leap forward not just for small-scale farmers but also for established ones who have adopted them for secondary farm activities like moving crops or as boom sprayers. It has boosted productivity thus allowing farmers to let go to traditional methods and launch into a new era of cheap mechanized farming.

While many were skeptical about the euphoric uptake of the hand tractors, claiming they would lead to joblessness, the Chinese hand tractors have been found to have little negative effects if any on hired labor since more jobs and opportunities arise with more acres under cultivation. For example, they advance secondary employment related to the agricultural value chain and machinery-related services such as spare parts, supplies, fuels and lubricants, and factory assembly plant jobs. These hand tractors also offer women and youth in rural areas boundless opportunities; mothers now have more time for their children and also are able to attend to other household chores and responsibilities.

Investment in Chinese hand tractors has created unrivaled opportunities for lasting wealth creation that has the potential to lift the masses out of poverty. It provides assistance to transition farmers from subsistence crop and local market sales to products suitable for higher value and international markets, therefore increasing their income and creating a more robust industry value chain of farm production and processing in the long run.

Until recently, Chinese involvement in Africa's agricultural sector was largely focused on technical assistance and capacity building, however, in the interest of sustainability, development of markets, and the potential for expanded trade, China has facilitated public-private partnerships providing incentives for its agribusiness corporations to establish outlets in Africa's agricultural industry.

This kind of people-to-people exchange and engagement is emphasized in Africa-China partnerships geared towards the socio-economic empowerment of African countries in their quest for middle-income status. In this context, smaller Chinese firms, SMEs, and individual entrepreneurs have secured opportunities in the agriculture sector to increase smallholder farmers' incomes, create jobs, and drive local economic growth, creating a more robust industry value chain for cereal production and processing and in the long run improving nutrition and empowering women. With lessons and experiences from its own agricultural transformation and by transferring cutting-edge technologies to African countries and helping them increase their own capacity for innovation, China is laying a road map for agricultural modernization in Africa.