INTRODUCTION TO MECHANIZATION

DEFINITION
ACCORDING TO RA 10601:
Agricultural and fisheries mechanization - refers to the development, adoption, assembly,
manufacture and application of appropriate, location specific and cost-effective agricultural and
fisheries machinery using human, animal, mechanical, electrical, renewable and other nonconventional
sources of energy for agricultural production and postharvest/postproduction operations consistent with
agronomic conditions and for efficient and economic farm and fishery management towards
modernization of agriculture and fisheries.

ACCORDING TO FAO(1979)
Agricultural Mechanization- It embraces the manufacture, distribution, utilization and provision of
after-sales service of tools, implements and machines for land development, agricultural production and
primary post-production processes. It includes the use of three main sources of power: human, animal
and mechanical.
DEFINITION
ACCORDING TO (Loyd Johnson, 1964):
Agricultural mechanization - It is the application of animal and machine power to
multiply man’s ability to perform production operations. Mechanization permits man to
multiply his production by the use of animal or fuel power. Mechanization allows the
performance of tasks efficiently.

ACCORDING TO (STOUT and DOWNING, 1974:

Agricultural Mechanization- The use of hand and animal-operated tools and
implements as well as motorized equipment to reduce human efforts, 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.
 DEFINITION BASED FROM FAO
It emphasizes the scope of service and the level of mechanization. SCOPE
Agricultural Mechanization- It embraces the manufacture,
distribution, utilization and provision of after-sales service of tools,
implements and machines for land development, agricultural production
and primary post-production processes. It includes the use of three
main sources of power: human, animal and mechanical.
LEVEL OF
MECHANIZATION
EXAMPLE OF MECHANIZATION LEVEL
 DEFINITION BASED FROM STOUT AND DOWNING
Shows the objective and benefits of mechanization.
Agricultural Mechanization- The use of hand and animal-
operated tools and implements as well as motorized equipment to
reduce human efforts quality perform operations that cannot
efforts, improve quality,
means and improve the timeliness of various
be done by other means,
yield quality of product and overall
operations thereby increasing yield,
operations,
efficiency
efficiency.
OBJECTIVE OF MECHANIZATION
To increase in land productivity and diversification of products and
by products, specifically;

1. to increased production
2. to generate labor and livelihood
3. to increase farmer's income and product's export
potentials.
CONDITIONS NECESSARY FOR MECHANIZATION
1. Mechanization must result in more production at lower cost than the
traditional method to justify the equipment cost, divert displaced labor
to more productive operations.
2. Mechanization must assist labor to overcome peak energy requirements
which are in excess of manpower available.
3. Mechanization must replace time and energy efficiently should be less
than those required with the use of hand tools.
CONCEPTIONS AND MISCONCEPTION OF
MECHANIZATION
Brief history of mechanization in the Philippines
1521-1898 (Spanish colonial regime)
• Spaniards introduce
1. single animal-drawn wooden plow with cast-iron plowshare and moldboard,
2. carabao (water buffalo)-drawn carts for agricultural produce transport and
3. horse-drawn calesas (carriage) for personnel transport;
4. processing technologies such as for making chocolate tablets from cacao,
1902-1940 (American colonial regime)
1. US military and investors first used three-wheel tractors in abaca (banana fiber crop)
plantations in Mindanao to produce cordage for maritime usage and for export;
2. US mechanization technologies transferred to Philippines such as the tractor-
powered stationary rice thresher - the "McCormick" thresher or "trilladora".
1941-1945 (Japanese occupation, World War II
1. Japan introduces household gadgets such as lamps, cooking appliances
2. No technology transfer on agricultural mechanization as Japan also uses draft
animals in farm operations.
Brief history of mechanization in the Philippines
1950-1970
1. President Elpidio. Quirino (1948-1953) pursues industrialization making Philippine economy
second only to Japan in Asia by early 1960s; unfortunately, this pursuit was not sustained by the
succeeding administrations;
2. Large grain silos for storage of paddy and corn are installed in Northern and Central Luzon but
turned out to be "white elephants" and later dismantled;
3. Human and animal farm power sources are predominant; agricultural mechanization and labor
productivity levels are low;
4. Four-wheel tractor sales are driven by credit programs and high sugar prices; • IRRI is
established in 1960 at the University of the Philippines College of Agriculture campus, now UP Los
Baños (UPLB); the green revolution starts; IRRI develops IR8 or "miracle rice" in 1966;
5. Hand tractors from Japan are introduced in early 1960s; Land-master tractor from UK fits as
workhorse for multiple cropping project by IRRI
President Ferdinand Marcos (1965- 1986) builds infrastructures such as roads, ports, dams for irrigation and
power generation as foundation for industrialization originally envisioned by President Quirino to support
agriculture
Brief history of mechanization in the Philippines
1971-1980
1. Agricultural Mechanization in Southeast Asia (now AMA) launches its maiden issue

2. IRRI Agricultural Engineering Department undertakes the Small Farm Machinery

Development Program under USAID grant; the axial-flow thresher makes obsolete the
traditional pedal drum and manual threshing methods

3. Institution-building and strengthening start: AMTEC in 1977; PhilRice in 1985;

Philippines hosts the Regional Network for Agricultural Machinery (RNAM) at UPLB with
the Agricultural Mechanization Development Program (AMDP) as country counterpart,
which advocates agricultural mechanization policy;
Brief history of mechanization in the Philippines
1981-1990
1. IRRI-AED releases more designs of small farm machines and devices;

2. UPLB-based RNAM actively conducts regional activities on agricultural

machinery and mechanization;

3. SV Agro-industries in Iloilo develops floating power tiller; IRRI-AED modifies it

into hydrotiller; both designs are adopted by farmers;

4. Delta Motor Corporation with technology backstopping of Toyota Motor

Corporation of Japan landmark manufactures 1,000 units of 10-hp diesel
engine, the first in Southeast Asia;
Brief history of mechanization in the Philippines
1991-2000
1. IRRI-AED releases design of the rice stripper-gatherer SG800 based on stripper
rotor technology developed by the UK Silsoe Research Institute

2. PhilRice-Rice Engineering and Mechanization Division (REMD) and the Bureau of

Postharvest Research and Development (BPRE) sustain research, development and
extension (RDE) activities of rice production and postharvest machinery
Brief history of mechanization in the Philippines
2000- UNTIL NOW
1. The Agriculture and Fisheries Mechanization (AFMech) Law is passed in 2013;
this landmark legislation now firms up the policy of modernizing Philippine agriculture
through agricultural mechanization.
2. The Philippines starts deliberate shifting from labor-intensive and low labor-
productive farm operation methods to mechanized farming;
3. PHilMech implements the Department of Agriculture's Rice Mechanization and
Postharvest Program (RMPP) for 2011-2016; promotes production and postharvest
machinery among Farmers' Associations on favourable procurement terms;
4. The Philippines imports some 200,000 single-cylinder gasoline and diesel
engines in 2013 alone (AMMDA, 2014) mostly from US, China, Thailand, Indonesia and
Vietnam
Brief history of mechanization in the Philippines
2000- UNTIL NOW
5. A new National Agro-fishery Mechanization Program (NAF-MP) is being
formulated by the Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Mechanization Engineering (BAFE)

6. Imported four-wheel tractors, rice transplanters and combines start getting

popular
7. RDE on technologies for land levelling and precision agriculture, automation and
robotics
8. Building of infrastructures for irrigation and drainage, transport (roads,
railways, cableways and ports) for efficient agricultural mechanization
 LAWS THAT IS INVOLVED IN MECHANIZATION IN
THE PHILIPPINES
1. Republic Act No. 3927 - An Act to Regulate the Practice of Agricultural Engineering in the Philippines or the
"Philippine Agricultural Engineering Law.

2. Republic Act No. 8559. An act regulating the practice of agricultural engineering Philippines Act of 1998
or the "Philippine Agricultural Engineering Act of 1998." (Approved on February 6, 1998)

3. Republic Act 8435. Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997

4. Republic Act 10915. An Act Strengthening , Modernizing And Aligning the Practice of Agricultural
Engineering in the Country into the Internationally Recognized Practice of Agricultural and Biosystems
Engineering, and for other Purposes. "Philippine Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Act of 2016”

5. Republic Act 10601 - The Agricultural and Fisheries Mechanization (AFMech) Law of 2013
AGENCIES INVOLVED IN MECHANIZATION IN THE
PHILIPPINES
AGENCIES INVOLVED IN MECHANIZATION IN THE
PHILIPPINES
AGENCIES INVOLVED IN MECHANIZATION IN THE
PHILIPPINES
MODEL OF MECHANIZATION
1. High Land Area to farmer ratio (USA Model)
Motivated into increasing the level of mechanization in order to cultivate
large agricultural lands with limited available manpower and take
advantage of favorable agricultural commodity prices. (Thailand,
Malaysia and Indonesia follow this model)
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. (South Korea, China, Taiwan, Sri Lanka
and the Philippines follow this model)
POTENTIAL BENEFITS FROM AB MECHANIZATION
POTENTIAL BENEFITS FROM AB MECHANIZATION
POTENTIAL BENEFITS FROM AB MECHANIZATION
POTENTIAL BENEFITS FROM AB MECHANIZATION
POTENTIAL BENEFITS FROM AB MECHANIZATION
POTENTIAL BENEFITS FROM AB MECHANIZATION
MECHANIZATION PROBLEM TREE BY
BAUTISTA(2003).
ISSUE AND CONSTRAINTS OF AB MECHANIZATION
1. Small land holdings
2. Less investing capacity of farmers
3. Adequate availability of draft animals
4. Lack of suitable farm machine for different operations
5. Lack of repair and servicing facilities for machines
6. Lack of trained man power
7. Lack of coordination between research organization and manufacturer
8. High cost of machines
9. Inadequate quality control of machine
LEVELS OF MECHANIZATION
LEVELS OF MECHANIZATION
Can be computed using the following:
LEVEL OF MECHANIZATION by JENKINS
MECHANIZATION INDEX
AND ANDRADE
 LEVELS OF MECHANIZATION
Can be computed using the following:
LEVEL OF MECHANIZATION by TOTAL POWER = Hptractor + HpMan +Hp Animal
ALMASI
The Total power of existing tractors (hp) =
Average nominal power of one tractor x Number
of working tractors.

Animal energy (hp-h) = Total existing animal Total real power of tractors= Total power of
power x Annual functional hours existing tractors x Conversion coefficient (0.75).

Total existing animal power (hp) Human energy (hp-h) =Total exiting human power x annual
= Produced power of animal x functional hours.
Number of animals.
Annul functional hours= Number of functional days x Mean
Annual functional hours = Number of functional hours during a day.
functional days x Mean functional Total existing human power (hp) = Produced power of human x
hours during a day. Number of humans.
LEVELS OF MECHANIZATION
LEVELS OF MECHANIZATION
LEVELS OF MECHANIZATION
LEVELS OF MECHANIZATION
LEVELS OF MECHANIZATION
LEVELS OF MECHANIZATION