AGCO Corporation AGCO has opened its first Future Farm and Learning Center in Africa, near Lusaka, Zambia. The Future Farm will help empower local communities to develop a sustainable food production system and to increase farm productivity by implementing modern farming techniques. The 150-hectare farm is divided into a diverse range of demonstration crop areas all cultivated, planted and harvested using the company’s full-line of agricultural equipment.
Africa’s population is expected to rise to two billion by 2050. As a result, the need for inclusive, sustainable mechanization and training, and to inspire the next generation to move into agriculture is now more than ever. AGCO’s goal is to provide agricultural solutions to all African farmers. Mechanization is a key ingredient to increasing agricultural productivity in Africa. Moreover, other constraints such as lack of improved seed, the right blends of fertilizers, the need for favorable trade and land policies, quality post-harvest management solutions and functional markets for harvested crops also need to be addressed.
The Future Farm’s facilities will include a state-of-the-art Mechanization Learning Center as well as a Grain and Poultry Learning Center. Small to medium scale farmers with limited access to modern farming practices will benefit from a range of training courses from basic agronomy, post-harvest solutions and mechanization. Training on best practice for protein production, grain storage and precision farming technologies will target the needs of large-scale commercial farming.
Currently, approximately 200 people are living in the community on the farm. In 2015, the cropped areas cover 70 hectares and the crops harvested are maize, soybean, sunn hemp, orange maize, ground nuts, cassava, sorghum, cowpea and sunflower.
Duluth, GA-based AGCO is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural machinery. It supports productive farming through a wide range of tractors, combines, hay tools, sprayers, forage equipment, tillage, implements, grain storage and protein production systems as well as other related replacement parts.
AGCO currently holds a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the sector include Deere & Company DE, Capstone Turbine Corp. CPST and AO Smith Corp. AOS. All of these stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
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