AGRICULTURAL MECHANIZATION

Arsenio N. Resurreccion
CEAT, UPLB

• Definitions:

FAO (1979): Embracing 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.

STOUT AND DOWNING (1974): Use of hand and animal-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.

 The first definition emphasized the scope of services and the different
levels of mechanization

scope: manufacture to after-sales service

levels: the use of tools, implements and machines; the use of
human, animal and mechanical sources of power

However, a particular mechanization program can be a combination of

the different levels for the different farm operations. Consider the
mechanization of a rice farm shown below:

OPERATION LEVEL OF MECHANIZATION

Land preparation 2-wheel tractor-drawn disc plow
Planting Manually operated drum seeder
Spraying Lever-operated knapsack sprayer
Weeding/cultivating Manually pushed rotary weeder
Harvesting Sickle
Threshing Mechanical thresher
Drying Sun drying
Milling Mechanical rice mill
  The second definition dealt with the objectives and benefits from
mechanization:

OBJECTIVES BENEFITS
1. Reduce human effort 1. increase yields
2. Improve quality 2. increase quality of product
3. perform operations that cannot 3. increase overall efficiency
be done by other means
4. improve timeliness of operation
of various operations

 The two definitions combined give us a more complete picture of

mechanization and its complexities.

• Models of mechanization:

1. High land area to farmer ratio: (example: USA)

Motivated into increasing the level of mechanization in order to

cultivate vast areas of agricultural lands with limited available
manpower and take advantage of favorable agricultural commodity
prices.

Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia follow the USA model

2. Low land area to farmer ratio: (example: Japan)

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 the
Japanese model.
• Potential benefits from mechanization:

1. Increased cropping intensity and production

 Tractors, power tillers, harvesters and threshers increase

cropping intensities
 Irrigation pumps increase yields
 Harvester and threshers reduce losses which effectively
increase yields

2. Increased productivity of labor

 Tractors in land preparation reduce 50% of the labor inputs

 However, labor for land preparation in the Philippines comprise
mainly family labor
 Freed family labor can look for alternative work opportunities;
children can go to school

3. Full utilization of farm products and by products

 Availability of machines allow the processing of farm products

and by-products
 Take the case of pineapple and coconut. Rather than just
selling the fruit and nut, they can be processed into different
products

4. Reduction of losses

 Development of harvesting, threshing and processing machines

reduce harvest and postharvest losses
 Losses: Rice: 10 – 37%
Corn: 30%

5. Increased value added of farm products

 Secondary and tertiary processing open up market potentials

and lead to higher retail prices
 Shelled peanut retailers earn P0.50/kg or more
 Dried corn can extend the selling period and need not be forced
to sell at a low price
 6. Employment and livelihood generation

 Machines designed to increase cropping intensities and

production will correspondingly increase labor requirements for
production and postharvest operations
 Machines designed to diversify farm products and by products
open up various livelihood opportunities
 Use of machines will require the putting up of repair shops in
the village areas

7. Import substitution

 Local agricultural machinery manufacturing will minimize the

importation of agricultural machinery

8. Export possibilities

 Locally manufactured agricultural machinery can be exported

to countries with similar farming conditions such as the
Philippines

• Conceptions and misconceptions on mechanization

1. Mechanization is synonymous to tractorization

2. High level mechanization is equated to modernization and therefore,

is an indicator and requirement for development

3. Mechanization displaces farm labor and causes unemployment in

agriculture; any substitution of capital for labor is socially undesirable

4. Mechanization is a western or developed country system of farming

that is not suited for developing countries

5. Mechanization is a costly input in farming especially the rising costs

of fossil fuel

6. Mechanization is not feasible where farm holdings are fragmented and

inaccessible
 7. Only the large farms can afford the cost of mechanization

 It is the responsibility of all those involved in agricultural

mechanization not to advocate indiscriminate high level
mechanization and those against mechanization not to come up with
sweeping statements that mechanization is undesirable.

 There exist combinations of levels of mechanization that will render

mechanization in a specific area desirable.

• Agencies involved in agricultural mechanization:

GOVERNMENT SECTOR

1. Department of Agriculture (DA):

a.) Agriculture and Fisheries Mechanization Committee (AFMeC)

– inter-agency committee which serves as advisory to the
Secretary on mechanization concerns

b.) Bureau of Postharvest Research and Extension (BPRE) – in-

charge of post harvest mechanization and corn mechanization

c.) Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) – In-charge of

rice mechanization

d.) Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) – In-charge

of developing small-scale irrigation projects

e.) National Irrigation Administration (NIA) – In-charge of

developing large-scale irrigation projects

f.) Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) – In-charge of vegetable

mechanization

g.) National Food Authority (NFA) – In-charge of grain storage

and marketing

h.) Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) – Base of the

Agricultural Eng’g RDE Network
 i.) Regional Agricultural Engineering Group (RAEG) – In-charge
of agricultural mechanization concerns in the different regions

2. University of the Philippines Los Baňos (UPLB):

a) Agricultural Mechanization Development Program (AMDP) –

Research and extension on agricultural mechanization;
Philippine counterpart of the Regional Network for Agricultural
Machinery (RNAM)

b) Agricultural Machinery Testing and Evaluation

Center(AMTEC) – Testing and evaluation of agricultural
machinery; Development of agricultural machinery standards

3. Central Luzon State University (CLSU):

a.) Philippine-Sino Center for Agricultural Technology

(PhilSCAT) – adaption and promotion of Chinese agricultural
machinery for local conditions

4. Department of Science and Technology (DOST):

a) Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural

Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) – base of
the Agricultural Engineering R&D Team which provides policy
direction for agricultural mechanization

5. Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) – base of the Board of

Agricultural Engineering (BOAE) which regulates and promotes the
agricultural engineering profession

PRIVATE SECTOR

6. Philippine Society of Agricultural Engineers (PSAE) – national and

regional professional organization of agricultural engineers with
similar functions as BOAE
 7. Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers, Dealers and Distributors
Association (AMMDA) – Heart of the agricultural machinery
manufacturing, marketing and after-sales service

• Selection of agricultural machinery:

 Proper selection of agricultural machinery is important because it is

considered a major investment

 A variety of farm machinery (different types, models and brands) are

now commercially available. Data on actual performance of the
various types, models and brands are needed for a wise selection.

 Points or features of machines that may help select the right machine:

1. Trade mark – stands for the reputation of the manufacturer and

a guarantee of what lies beneath the paint

2. Materials – take note of the quality of materials used and the

manufacturing technology employed in the manufacture of the
machine as this will have a direct bearing on performance and
durability

3. Ease of operation – pay attention to placement of controls.

Ensure that controls are accessible and soft to operate. Look for
adjustments of handle bars and seats

4. Ease of maintenance – a machine requires daily and periodic

maintenance and adjustments. Ensure that points of
maintenance and adjustment are easy to perform. The machine
should have an operator’s manual explaining the procedures.

5. Safety – check for safety provisions for both machine and

operator. All rotating parts should be provided with shields.
Snap clutches or similar devices should be installed to protect
the machine and prime mover in case of overload.

6. Source of repair – make sure that spare parts and service are
available nearby. Ask for local dealers for the machine.
 7. Power source – decide if you will need an engine or electric
motor.

 If an engine, decide if you want a diesel or gasoline

engine. With the gasoline engine, first cost is lower but
operating cost is high. With the diesel engine, first cost
is high but operating cost is low. If operating time per
year exceeds 100 hours, use of diesel engines may be
justified.

 If an electric motor, decide if you need single-phase or

three-phase electric motor. Acquisition cost and current
requirement of three-phase electric motor is lower but is
three-phase supply line available in your area? The use
of single-phase electric motor may be justified up to 5 hp.

• Optimum capacity of machines:

 Smallest capacity that will get the job done on time. However, there
should be some excess capacity on the machine to cover unexpected
delays due to weather and/or machine breakdown

 Often, it is an option to have several small capacity machines rather

than just one big machine. If a big machine breaks down, there is
100% stoppage of work. In the case of two smaller machines, if one
machine breaks down, there is only 50% stoppage of work. Further, it
allows for a 50% lowering of production output.

• Economics of farm machinery:

 The economic goal of mechanization is to maximize profits by getting

the maximum output from machines at a minimum cost.

 A mechanization scheme does not mean mechanizing all farm

operations but only those that will contribute to increased output and
reduction of operating cost.
 The use of machinery does not only imply ownership; renting of
machines or custom-hire operation are very sound options especially
for small farms. This is common in land preparation, high capacity
shelling and threshing, and milling operations.

 Joint ownership of machines by two or more farms to justify the

purchase of a machine is also another viable option. This is common
for engines for irrigation pumps.

 And for cooperatives, acquisition of machines and renting out to

members is also another viable option.

 Measures of machinery investment appraisal:

1. Undiscounted measures – does not take into consideration the

change in value of money over time. These are usually crude
methods of comparing several investment alternatives.

a. Payback period (PBP) – length of time it takes to recover

the investment or until the net benefits equal the
investment cost. The decision rule is to select the
alternative with the shortest PBP.

b. Break-even point (BEP) – level of operation where the

investment neither produces a profit nor incurs a loss.
The decision rule is to accept the alternative with the
lowest BEP.

2. Discounted measure – the time value of money is taken into

consideration through the process called discounting.

Discounting is the process of translating future values in present

worth by applying a set of discount factors that reflects the
diminishing value of the same amount of money as one moves
further into the future.

a. Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) – ratio of the present worth of

the benefit stream over the present worth of cost stream
extending over a period of time usually the life of the
 machine. Decision rule is to accept projects with BCR≥
1.

b. Net Present Value (NPV) – the difference of the present

value of the benefit stream and the present value of the
cost stream extending over a period of time usually the
life of the machine. The decision rule is to accept
projects with NPV ≥ 0

c. Internal Rate of Return (IRR) – the maximum interest

rate the project can pay for the use of money if the
project is to break-even. At this point, the NPV = O and
BCR = 1. The decision rule is that the IRR of the project
should be higher than the prevailing interest rate of the
bank.

Mechanization Questions

1. The three main sources of power for mechanization include:

a. human, animal & mechanical b. human, electrical & mechanical

c. animal, electrical & mechanical d. human, animal & electrical
2. Before the adoption of mechanized harvest and postharvest operations for
rice, field losses were:

a. 5 – 15% b. 10 – 27%
c. 10 – 37% d. 20 – 30%
3. In optimizing the capacity of a machine, it is recommended to have:

a. one small machine b. one big machine

c. two or more small machines d. all of the above
4. Twelve man-days is equivalent to:

a. one man working for 12 hrs b. three men working for three
days
c. six men working for 2 hrs d. four men working for three
days
5. Select a farm operation that can only be done with the use of a machine:

a. plowing b. spraying
c. harvesting d. threshing
6. Level of operation where the investment neither produces a profit nor incurs
a loss:

a. Internal rate of return b. Net present value

b. Breakeven point d. Payback period
7. The use of machinery does not only imply ownership, the following are also
considered viable options:

a. renting b. custom hire service

c. joint ownership d. all of the above
8. How many times greater is the power of a carabao over man?

a. 0.1 b. 1.0
c. 10 d. 100
9. Select two consecutive farm operations which when done mechanically can
increase cropping intensity:

a. planting – spraying b. irrigation – weeding

c. harvesting – plowing d. harvesting – threshing
10. The following are considered discounted measures of project worth:

a. payback period b. internal rate of return

c. benefit-cost ratio d. net present value
11. Which of the following countries follow the mechanization model of low
land area to farmer ratio?

a. Thailand b. Philippines
c. Malaysia d. Indonesia
12. The gasoline engine is characterized as:

a. low first cost – high operating cost b. low first cost – low
operating cost
 c. high first cost – high operating cost d. high first cost – low
operating cost

13. The three-phase electric motor is characterized as:

a. low first cost – high operating cost b. low first cost – low
operating cost
c. high first cost – high operating cost d. high first cost – low
operating cost

14. The maximum interest rate the project can pay for the use of money if the
project is to break-even:

a. Internal rate of return b. Net present value

b. Breakeven point d. Payback period