Most of us eat some type of specialty crop every single day. Whether you’re eating your fruits and vegetables, or even using certain seasonings to help complete that perfect dish, you’re using specialty crops.
Licha ya kuenea kwa mazao maalum - pamoja na ukweli wao kwa sasa wana thamani ya soko ya $79.8 bilioni (ambayo inachangia zaidi ya 16% ya jumla ya pato la kilimo) - hivyo mara nyingi sehemu hii ya kilimo hupuuzwa.
Ni rahisi kuelewa kwa nini. "Mazao maalum" ni neno pana, na ambalo linajumuisha vitu vingi tofauti. Kulingana na Mswada wa Shamba la 2004, mazao maalum hufafanuliwa kama “matunda na mboga, karanga za miti, matunda yaliyokaushwa, kilimo cha bustani, na mazao ya kitalu (ikiwa ni pamoja na kilimo cha maua).” Hata ufafanuzi huu ni mpana, ikizingatiwa kwamba bidhaa nyingi tofauti zinaweza kuanguka chini ya "matunda" na "mboga." Na mara nyingi, tunapozungumzia kilimo, lengo hujikuta likilenga zaidi mazao ya mstari au kilimo cha wanyama. Ingawa mazao ya mstari hujumuisha mazao machache yaliyochaguliwa ambayo mara nyingi huvunwa kwa mchanganyiko na kufanya sehemu kubwa ya mashamba ya Marekani, mazao maalum hupatikana mara nyingi California na Florida.
Hata hivyo, idadi ya mazao maalum yanayopandwa inaongezeka zaidi na zaidi katika maeneo kote Marekani. Makadirio ya hivi majuzi yamepatikana sasa kuna zaidi ya mashamba 184,000 ya mazao maalum yanayochukua zaidi ya ekari milioni 10.4 za mashamba. Licha ya ukweli kwamba uzalishaji wa mazao maalum ya Marekani ni sehemu kubwa ya uzalishaji wa kilimo wa Marekani kwa ujumla, inakabiliwa na changamoto kadhaa.
U.S. producers often find themselves at a disadvantage on a global (and even domestic) scale because, in most areas across the country, year-round production is impossible. And, unlike with row crops, specialty crops can’t be raised in bulk and stored to be sold throughout the year due to freshness concerns. In addition, specialty crops are often much more weather sensitive than their counterparts. This makes them extremely vulnerable to instances like the recent extreme weather seen across the southern part of the U.S., one which resulted in specialty crop losses of more than $600 million.
Kufanya mambo kuwa mabaya zaidi, uzalishaji wa ndani pia umeathiriwa sana na vita vya biashara vinavyoendelea. Marekani inaendelea kuagiza bidhaa kadhaa maalum za mazao, ambazo zinapunguza bei ya ndani, na nchi nyingine zimeathiri mazao maalum yanayozalishwa na Marekani kwa ushuru wa juu. Wakati huo huo, Ulaya imeweka ushuru wa zaidi ya dola bilioni 4 kwa bidhaa kadhaa za Marekani. Athari za ushuru huo zinaweza kuwa kubwa, na NC State estimating sweet potato exports alone potentially seeing a reduction of $70 million.
And, as is the case with most things, specialty crops have been negatively impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Before COVID-19 emerged last spring, ilikadiriwa kuwa uzalishaji wa strawberry wa Florida pekee ulikosa 30% ya kazi iliyohitajika. Mazao maalum ni mojawapo ya aina za kilimo zinazohitaji nguvu kazi nyingi ambazo zipo leo. Hii ni kwa sababu shughuli nyingi zinategemea sana wafanyikazi wa kilimo wa muda wa H-2A. Wakati wa janga hili, wengi wa wafanyikazi hawa walikataliwa kuja Merika, na wale walioruhusiwa walilazimika kuwa na malazi maalum, kwani wazalishaji lazima pia wawape wafanyikazi hawa makazi. Hata kabla ya janga hilo, hitaji la wafanyikazi lilikuwa tayari limezidi usambazaji.
Ingawa kuna changamoto nyingi, sio habari mbaya zote kwa sekta ya mazao maalum. Kiwango cha ukuaji wa kila mwaka cha 2.6% kinakadiriwa katika kipindi cha muongo ujao, na bei ya bidhaa tayari imepanda karibu 40% tangu 2011. Hatimaye, ingawa, inabakia kuonekana kama changamoto zinazokabili mazao maalum zitapunguza kiwango ambacho wazalishaji wanaweza kutumia fursa za ukuaji.
Kuongezeka kwa uvumbuzi kati ya wazalishaji wa vifaa
Specialty crops are often sold in the form they are harvested, largely because aesthetics matter to many consumers. This has made developing harvesting equipment even more difficult, as most people don’t want to buy bruised or damaged fruits and vegetables. As a result, several manufacturers have found ways to develop machinery that can harvest these products in a gentle enough way, so as not to damage the product. Doing so has helped make the equipment more appealing and for some specialty crop products, such as potatoes, harvesting equipment has been around for ages. However, for most harvesting equipment is still relatively new and not as widely adopted.
While the mechanization of specialty crop harvesting has been slow and very difficult due to the nature of the crop and consumer expectations, a number of products are already on the market today, including harvesters from AEM member companies New Holland, Pellenc, Gregoire, The Morning Star Co. and Oxbo.
Nyingi za mashine hizi zinaweza kuendana na pato la watu 20 kwa kila saa. Hii inakwenda mbali katika kusaidia kukabiliana na uhaba wa wafanyikazi ambao tasnia hii inakabiliwa nayo, huku pia ikitoa chanzo salama na cha kutegemewa cha chakula. Katika kupunguza mahitaji ya wafanyikazi, mashine pia huboresha viwango vya wazalishaji kutokana na kupunguza gharama ya kazi ambayo ingehitajika. Yote kwa yote, yanaifanya tasnia ivutie zaidi kutoka kwa mtazamo wa mzalishaji kupitia viwango vilivyoboreshwa na mtazamo wa wafanyikazi kwa sababu ya kupunguzwa kwa kazi ya mwili na malipo bora, kazi za ustadi.
Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM”s) Specialty Crops Leadership Group
The previously mentioned harvesting companies, along with John Deere (specialty crop tractors), Kubota (specialty crop tractors and sprayers), and GUSS Automation (autonomous orchard sprayers), comprise AEM’s newly formed Specialty Crop Leadership Group. The group was formed in alignment with AEM’s Ag Sector Board’s recently approved priority of expanding AEM’s reach and role into specialty crops. Ultimately, the purpose of this group is to help identify how AEM can better serve the specialty crop industry as a whole. Throughout the upcoming year, plans are in the works to educate both end user and regulators about specialty crops – specifically why specialty crops matter and the importance of making people aware of the technologies that exist.
Despite being often overlooked by the general public, specialty crops are now among the largest agricultural outputs in the U.S. today. And, as previously mentioned, both opportunities and challenges exist for what is one of the most labor-intensive industries around. However, AEM is committed to working with company leaders to better meet the needs, wants and demands of equipment end users who have helped make the specialty crop industry what it is today. Accomplishing all these things, and many more, is what AEM Leadership Groups are all about.
Jifunze zaidi kuhusu AEM’s Specialty Crop Leadership Group na other leadership groups like it.
- Austin Gellings, Association of Equipment Manufacturers Agricultural Services Manager