Mechanized Threshing Operations

Efficient Threshing for Productive Farms

Mechanized threshers are portable machines with a feed chute, internal spinning drum, and blower. They efficiently separate seeds from crop residues. These machines are powered by small petrol engines and can process seeds and grain much faster than traditional methods.

This technology is TAAT1 validated.

8•8

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

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

The poor: Positive low

Under 18: Positive medium

Women: Positive high

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

Biodiversity: Harms biodiversity

Carbon footprint: More carbon released

Environmental health: Not verified

Problem

Labor-Intensive Manual Threshing: Physically demanding, time-consuming task, often done by women and youth, diverting valuable labor. Leads to fatigue, reduced productivity, limits opportunities, and potential physical strain.
Inefficiency in Seed Separation: Manual threshing can lead to inefficient seed separation, affecting seed and crop quality. Reduces seed quality, impacting crop yields and agricultural productivity. Lowers market value, affecting farmers' income.
Time-Consuming Process: Manual threshing takes significant time and effort, especially on a large scale. Diverts time from critical farming tasks, leading to potential delays and reduced productivity. Results in economic losses due to delayed operations for farmers.

Solution

Mechanized Threshers Reduce Labor-Intensive Threshing: Mechanized threshers replace manual labor, reducing physical strain and labor intensity. They also free up time for more productive tasks, providing opportunities for women and youth.
Efficient Seed Separation with Mechanized Threshers: Mechanized threshers efficiently separate seeds from crop residues, ensuring high-quality seeds. This enhances seed quality, increases market value, and improves overall productivity.
Rapid Processing for Time Efficiency: Mechanized threshing is much faster than manual methods, saving valuable time during harvest. This boosts overall productivity, allows focus on critical tasks, and potentially increases economic returns.

Key points to design your project

The Mechanized Threshing Operations technology offers an efficient solution for separating seeds or grains from harvested plants, significantly reducing labor requirements and costs associated with manual threshing methods. To integrate this technology into your project,

Promote the mechanized threshing technology through demonstration sessions at the community level to raise awareness about its benefits.
Provide comprehensive training to operators on the maintenance and operation of the machinery to ensure optimal performance.

This post-harvest service may be provided by independent business interests or as a means of assuring grain quality to produce buyers. Marketing threshers is a different matter. This involves either distributing fabricated equipment or importing it. Some threshers are produced in Africa, and a large number are available for import.

Consider the cost and the number of units needed for your project knowing that the equipment powered by electricity costs less than those requiring petrol or diesel. Large discounts are available to those importing equipment in larger quantities. Operators charge 10 USD per hour and are able to process up to 225 kg of maize or 280 kg of beans per hour, claiming to relieve households of 40 hours of drudgery per acre of harvest.

Engage a team of trainers to provide ongoing support and maintenance assistance to operators after the initial training.

Develop communication materials such as flyers, videos, and radio broadcasts to educate farmers and stakeholders about the benefits and proper use of mechanized threshing technology.

Collaborate with agricultural development institutes and fleet managers to facilitate the adoption and implementation of mechanized threshing technology in your country.

50 %

Threshing cost reduced

225 kg per hour

Maize processing

IP

No formal IP rights

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 8 out of 9

Used by some intended users, in the real world

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

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
Benin	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Burundi	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Cameroon	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Central African Republic	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Côte d’Ivoire	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Democratic Republic of the Congo	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Ethiopia	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Kenya	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Malawi	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Nigeria	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Rwanda	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Senegal	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
South Sudan	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Tanzania	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Uganda	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Zimbabwe	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted