THE BLACKSMITH AND THE FARMER

The development of small metal-working enterprises has become an important basis for agricultural mechanisation. Centered on the village blacksmith, they have shown great success in the cotton areas of southern Mali, in Borgou in Benin, and in regions such as Chari-Baguirmi in Chad and Yatenga in Burkina Faso. Farmers have used credit derived from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to purchase ploughs, carts, and small tillage equipment from local enterprises. However, the competitive prices of these products have been threatened by imported equipment, sometimes favoured by donor-funded projects. According to local specialists, international agencies should consider the impact on the local economy of favouring local manufacture when it is competitive: what they call 'inter-sectoral synergies' between the blacksmiths and the farmers are often key elements in mechanisation strategies. United they stand, divided they fall.