BASIC FARM MACHINERY &

MECHANIZATION

AGRI 222

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 Module-1
Introduction to Agricultural
Mechanization
Agricultural Mechanization
➢It is the process of using agricultural
machinery to mechanize the work of
agriculture, which greatly increases
farm work productivity.

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The effective mechanization contributes to
increase production in two major ways:

1. Timeliness of operation in agriculture

➢ It involves performing agricultural operations

such as planting, cultivation, irrigation,
fertilization, and harvesting at the right
moment to maximize crop yield, quality, and
profitability.

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The effective mechanization contributes to
increase production in two major ways:
➢ For example, planting should ideally occur when
soil moisture and temperature conditions are
optimal for seed germination.

➢ Similarly, irrigation should be applied when

plants require moisture to support growth and
development, but before they experience water
stress.

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➢ Timeliness of operation is essential for
maximizing agricultural productivity and
minimizing production risks.

➢Conversely, delayed or untimely operations

can result in reduced yields, increased
susceptibility to pests and diseases, and
overall lower profitability.

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The effective mechanization contributes to
increase production in two major ways:

2. Quality of work in agriculture

➢ It encompasses the overall standard of
performance, efficiency, and outcomes in
cultivating, managing, and harvesting crops,
as well as other related tasks such as soil
preparation, irrigation, pest control, and post-
harvest handling.

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Agricultural mechanization

➢ As defined by Food and Agriculture

Organization (FAO) is the system of production
of food and fiber with the use of tools,
implement and machines for agricultural land
development, production, harvesting, and on-
farm processing.

➢ It covers the manufacture, distribution and

utilization of tools, implements, and machines.

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Agricultural mechanization
➢ is also the use hand and animal-
of
operated tools and implements as well as
motorized equipment to reduce human
effort, improve quality, perform operations
that cannot be done by other means, and
improve the timeliness of various
operations, thereby increasing yield,
quality of product and overall efficiency.

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➢The definition offered by FAO
emphasizes the scope of services and
different levels of mechanization.
A) Scope: manufacture to after-sales
service.
➢ It encompasses the entire lifecycle of
agricultural machinery and equipment,
from the manufacturing and distribution
stage to the provision of after-sales
support and services to end-users.

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 Key components within this scope:

1. Manufacturing and Production:

➢ Design and engineering of agricultural

machinery and equipment to meet the
needs and requirements of farmers,
agronomists, and other end-users.

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 Key components within this scope:

2. Distribution and Supply Chain:

➢ Distribution networks and supply chain
management to deliver agricultural
machinery and equipment to dealers,
retailers, and end-users efficiently and
cost-effectively.

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 Key components within this scope:

3. Sales and Marketing:

➢ Sales strategies and marketing
campaigns to promote agricultural
machinery and equipment, highlight
their features, benefits, and value
propositions, and attract potential
customers.

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 Key components within this scope:

4. Training and Education:

➢ Training programs and educational
initiatives to equip dealers, retailers,
and end-users with the knowledge,
skills, and competencies required to
operate, maintain, and troubleshoot
agricultural machinery and equipment
safely and effectively.

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 Key components within this scope:
5. After-Sales Service and Support:
➢ Warranty programs and service agreements to
provide customers with assurance,
malfunctions, and performance issues during
the warranty period.

➢ Maintenance, repair, and servicing of

agricultural machinery and equipment to
ensure optimal performance, and longevity
throughout their lifecycle.

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 Key components within this scope:
6. Technical Assistance and Remote Monitoring:

➢ Remote diagnostic tools to enable

manufacturers, dealers, and service providers to
remotely monitor, diagnose, and troubleshoot
equipment performance and issues.

➢ Technical assistance and field support services

to respond promptly to customer service
requests, onsite inspections, and emergency
repairs, and disruptions to farming operations.

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 Key components within this scope:
7. Customer Feedback and Continuous Improvement:

➢ Feedback and customer satisfaction surveys to

gather opinions, and suggestions from end-users
about their experiences with agricultural
machinery and equipment.

➢ Continuous improvement initiatives and product

development efforts based on customer feedback,
market trends, technological advancements, and
regulatory changes to enhance product quality,
performance, and customer satisfaction.

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➢ By integrating manufacturing,
distribution, sales, after-sales service,
and support functions, stakeholders can
ensure the reliability, durability, and
value of agricultural machinery and
equipment throughout their lifecycle,
ultimately contributing to the
productivity, profitability, and
sustainability of farming operations.

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➢The definition offered by FAO
emphasizes the scope of services and
different levels of mechanization.

B) Levels: the use of tools, implements and

machines.

➢ refer to the categorization of equipment based on

their complexity, technological sophistication,
and scale of operation.

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Levels of equipment usage in agriculture:
1. Basic hand tools

➢ These tools are manually operated and

do not require external power sources.

➢ Commonly used for tasks such as soil

preparation, planting, weeding, pruning,
and harvesting in small-scale e.g.
shovels, hoes, rakes, hand trowels, and
pruning shears.

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Levels of equipment usage in agriculture:
2. Manual Implements:
➢ are suitable for medium-scale farming
operations and are often used for tasks
such as land preparation, seeding, and crop
maintenance.

➢ hand-operated or animal-drawn tools that

are slightly more complex than basic hand
tools, e.g. wooden plows, cultivators, seed
drills, sickles, and wheelbarrows.

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Levels of equipment usage in agriculture:
3. Intermediate Machinery:
➢ Intermediate machinery includes small-scale
mechanized equipment powered by human
operators or small engines.

➢ Suitable for small to medium-sized farms and

can significantly increase efficiency and
productivity compared to manual implements
e. g. walking tractors, portable irrigation
pumps, threshers.

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Levels of equipment usage in agriculture:
4. Specialized Machinery:
➢ Used in large-scale commercial farming
operations and requires skilled operators to
operate and maintain.

➢ Consists of larger, more specialized

agricultural equipment designed for specific
tasks or crops, e.g. combine harvesters, cotton
pickers, potato harvesters, and precision
planters.

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Levels of equipment usage in agriculture:
5. Advanced Technology and Automation
➢ This level involves the use of advanced
agricultural technologies, automation, and
robotics to optimize farm operations and increase
efficiency.

➢ Enable precision agriculture practices, data-driven

decision-making, and real-time monitoring of
farming activities, e.g. GPS-guided tractors,
drones for crop monitoring, precision irrigation
systems, and robotic milking machines.

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 Objectives & Benefits of Farm
Mechanization
Objectives Benefits

✓ Reduce human effort ✓ Increase yield

✓ Improve quality of work ✓ Increase the quality
✓ Perform operations that of the product
cannot be done by other ✓ Increase overall
means efficiency
✓ Improve timeliness of
various farm operations

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 Power in Agriculture
Power
➢ refers to the energy or force used to perform
various tasks and operations involved in
farming activities.

➢ It encompasses the mechanical power needed

to operate agricultural machinery and
equipment, as well as the physical effort
exerted by humans and animals in manual
labor tasks.

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 Classification of Power in Agriculture
1. Mechanical Power:
➢ This type of power is generated by machinery
and equipment powered by engines, motors, or
other mechanical systems.
➢ E.g. tractors, harvesters, plows, cultivators,
pumps, and irrigation systems.

➢ It is essential for tasks such land

as
preparation, planting, cultivation, harvesting,
irrigation, and post-harvest handling.

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 Classification of Power in Agriculture
2. Human power
➢ refers to the physical strength and effort
exerted by farm workers to perform manual
tasks and operations in agriculture.
➢ E.g. planting seeds, weeding crops, harvesting
fruits and vegetables, and handling livestock.

➢ It is particularly important in small-scale or

subsistence farming systems where access to
mechanized equipment is limited.

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 Classification of Power in Agriculture
3. Animal Power:
➢ It involves the use of draft animals such as
horses, buffalo or carabao to pull plows, carts,
and other implements in agricultural
operations.

➢ It has been historically significant in farming

practices and is still employed in many parts
of the world, especially in areas with limited
access to mechanized equipment.

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➢ Mechanization of agricultural tasks
through the use of machinery and
equipment powered by mechanical
sources has led to significant
improvements in farming practices,
enabling farmers to cultivate larger areas
of land, increase crop yields, and reduce
labor requirements.

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 Utilization of Farm Power
1. Tractive work
➢ Requiring pulling or drawing efforts
➢ E.g. Land preparation/plowing, planting and
seeding, crop cultivation (intertillage),
harvesting, hauling, etc.
2. Stationary work
➢ Usually accomplished by means of belts and
gear.
➢ E.g. water pumping, processing (rice mill), etc.

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 Reasons why agriculture in the Philippines
cannot be fully mechanized

✓ There is a surplus of agricultural labor;

✓ There are enough draft animals available in the

country to do the farm work;

✓ The size of farm holdings of most of the

farmers is too small to justify the use of a
tractor on their farms;

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 Reasons why agriculture in the Philippines
cannot be fully mechanized
✓ The investing capacity, of the farmers is too
poor to buy a tractor and tractor drawn
implements;

✓ The technical know-how of the people in the

country is low;

✓ In the absence of suitable farm road system,

the tractor and tractor-drawn machines cannot
be effectively utilized under the present
conditions;

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 Reasons why agriculture in the Philippines
cannot be fully mechanized
✓ It will not be possible to increase the yield by
using mechanical power;

✓ Mechanization will not result in lowering the cost

of production;

✓ It will not be possible to mechanize every bit of

farm operation; and

✓ A large labor force will get displaced from

agriculture.

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In developing countries, distribution of power
sources used in agriculture is as follows:

✓ 70 % human power

✓ 20% animal power

✓ 10% engine power

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 Models of Mechanization

1. High land to farmer ratio (USA Model)

➢ Motivated into land increasing the level

of mechanization in order to cultivate
large agricultural lands with limited
available manpower and take advantage
of favorable agricultural commodity
prices.

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 Models of Mechanization

2. Low land area to farmer ratio (Japan Model)

➢ Motivated into increasing the level of

mechanization in order to increase yields
and cropping intensities to meet the
growing demands for food and
agricultural raw materials.

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 Models of Mechanization

➢ Countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and

Indonesia follow the model of High Land
Area to Farmer Ratio while South Korea,
China, Sri Lanka follow the Low Land
Area to Farmer Ratio.

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 Potential Benefits from Mechanization

1. Increased cropping intensity and production

✓ Tractors, power tillers, irrigation pumps,

harvesters and threshers increase cropping
intensities;
✓ Irrigation pumps increase yields; and
✓ Harvester and threshers reduced losses which
effectively increased yields.

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 Potential Benefits from Mechanization

2. Increased productivity of labor

3. Full utilization of farm products and by-

products
✓ Availability of machines allow the processing
of farm products and by products.
✓ E.g. the case of coconut and pineapple.
✓ Rather than just selling the nut and the fruit,
they can now be processed into different
products.

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 Potential Benefits from Mechanization

4. Reduction of losses

✓ Development of harvesting, threshing and

processing machines reduces harvest
and postharvest losses for about 10-40%
for main agricultural crops.

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 Potential Benefits from Mechanization

5. Increased value added of farm products

✓ Secondary and tertiary processing open

up market potentials and lead to retail
prices.

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 Potential Benefits from Mechanization

6. Employment and livelihood generation

✓ Machines designed to increase cropping intensities

and production will correspondingly increase labor
requirements for production and postharvest
operations.
✓ Machine designed to diversify farm products and
by-products open up various livelihood
opportunities.
✓ Use of machine will require the putting up of repair
shops in the village areas.

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 Potential Benefits from Mechanization

7. Import Substitution

✓ Local agricultural machinery

manufacturing will minimize the
importation of agricultural machinery.

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 Potential Benefits from Mechanization

8. Export Possibilities

✓ Locally manufactured agricultural

machinery can be exported to countries
with similar farming conditions such as
the Philippines.

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 End of module 1

Presentation title 45