Small farm mechanisation : diversifying the use of small engines available on farm to power cropping operations
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ArticleLanguage: English Publication details: Thailand : Khon Kaen University, 2010.Subject(s):
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The 3rd Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development International Conference (TISD2010) p. 309-316Summary: Access to mechanised power input is an important factor underpinning agricultural productivity and quality of life for farmers in developing countries. In the frequent context of rising labour wages and labour scarcity, the availability and affordability of farm power for small scale farmers can constrain their access to mechanisation for labour intensive operations, and thereby restricts the potential for improving labour productivity, farm profitability and sustainability. In the case of Bangladesh, small diesel engines (4-9 hp) form a low cost (US$ 150-300) power base afforded by a large number of farmers, with conventional use currently limited to pumping for irrigation and on-farm crop threshing. This power source is also frequently accessible during cropping operations. This paper reports on the development of a low cost mechanisation solution for mechanical weed control of upland wide row crops, powered by a low-cost diesel engine. In an irrigated maize crop with moderate to high weed infestation, this prototype power weeder achieved 0.78-0.85 weeding index, a field capacity of 0.1 ha/h, a 91% reduction in weeding costs and no grain yield loss over manual weeding. Its retail price was estimated at approximately 2.2 times that of the low power diesel engine used or approximately the labour cost required for manual weeding of 1.8-2.2 ha. The concept can be extended to power other farm operations such as planting. A short cost analysis comparing small engine and larger power tiller power source for field operation mechanisation suggests operating costs may be halved under the small diesel engine option. In practice, technical challenges may remain with the efficiency of small engine power transmission to suit energy intensive field operations. Targeted mechanisation for small farms using more widely available small diesel engine power sources should be more broadly considered in mechanisation projects, in order to enable a larger number of farmers access power for labour intensive operations.
| Item type | Current library | Collection | Call number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference paper | CIMMYT Knowledge Center: John Woolston Library | Reprints Collection | Available |
Access to mechanised power input is an important factor underpinning agricultural productivity and quality of life for farmers in developing countries. In the frequent context of rising labour wages and labour scarcity, the availability and affordability of farm power for small scale farmers can constrain their access to mechanisation for labour intensive operations, and thereby restricts the potential for improving labour productivity, farm profitability and sustainability. In the case of Bangladesh, small diesel engines (4-9 hp) form a low cost (US$ 150-300) power base afforded by a large number of farmers, with conventional use currently limited to pumping for irrigation and on-farm crop threshing. This power source is also frequently accessible during cropping operations. This paper reports on the development of a low cost mechanisation solution for mechanical weed control of upland wide row crops, powered by a low-cost diesel engine. In an irrigated maize crop with moderate to high weed infestation, this prototype power weeder achieved 0.78-0.85 weeding index, a field capacity of 0.1 ha/h, a 91% reduction in weeding costs and no grain yield loss over manual weeding. Its retail price was estimated at approximately 2.2 times that of the low power diesel engine used or approximately the labour cost required for manual weeding of 1.8-2.2 ha. The concept can be extended to power other farm operations such as planting. A short cost analysis comparing small engine and larger power tiller power source for field operation mechanisation suggests operating costs may be halved under the small diesel engine option. In practice, technical challenges may remain with the efficiency of small engine power transmission to suit energy intensive field operations. Targeted mechanisation for small farms using more widely available small diesel engine power sources should be more broadly considered in mechanisation projects, in order to enable a larger number of farmers access power for labour intensive operations.
Text in English
Matin, Md.A. : No CIMMYT Affiliation
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