For years, soybean threshing in Jimma meant days of exhaustive manual work. Farmers like Mr. Sheh Gali A/Garo recall needing four days and four men to thresh and clean soybeans from just a quarter hectare of land, often resulting in poor grain quality due to soil contamination.

That is now changing. With support from The Nippon Foundation, the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) Ethiopia looked to the soybean thresher design used by its sister office in Nigeria as a blueprint.
Working in partnership with Aybar Engineering PLC, SAA developed Ethiopia’s first locally fabricated soybean thresher at the end of December 2025—portable, durable, and tailored to local conditions.

The machine was field-tested under the AGRA-funded SoyLink project in Tikur Balto Kebele (Kersa District).  During testing, it processed 300 kg of soybeans in just an hour, producing cleaner grain with no breakage thanks to the built-in blower system.  With proper drum–concave clearance adjustments and well-dried grain, output reached 400 to 500 kg per hour. Powered by a 14-HP engine, the machine consumes approximately 2.3 liters of fuel.  Designed with rural accessibility in mind, the thresher can also be transported using animal-drawn carts, making it practical for remote farming communities. “This machine is marvelous,” said Mr. Sheh Gali. “The soybean doesn’t touch the ground at all. The quality speaks for itself.”

Conducting the soybean thresher demonstrations with the farmers

Cleaner grain improves market acceptance, reduces postharvest losses, and increases farmers’ income potential. As farmers quickly recognized its benefits, demand for technology began to grow. To expand access, SAA plans to support local private service providers, targeting unemployed youth, to deliver threshing services to farmers on demand. Through this innovation, a once-backbreaking task is being transformed into an efficient, time-saving service and a new rural business opportunity.

Sheh A_Gali while checking the grain quality