scholarly journals Crop-machinery management system for field operations and adopted planning techniques for plantation sugar cane production

2021 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 97-120
Author(s):  
Adisa Folami ◽  
Eberendu Obioha
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Cane ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Field Capacity ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Operational Planning ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Oil Consumption ◽  
Farm Mechanization ◽  
Field Efficiency ◽  
Optimum Cost

Major objectives of farm mechanization are to maximize production at minimum risks and optimum cost of equipment usage by good management planning and operation of machines to carry out sequence crop production operations for the whole farming system. Hence this study was needed at Sunti Golden Sugar Company, Nigeria to determine cost of equipment use and select appropriate tractor power and machinery for the crop cultivation, crop establishment, weed control, cane harvesting and transporting to the store for post-harvest processing for future target of 4,770 ha of sugar cane farm. Based on agricultural farm size, field operational planning factors like soil, weather/environmental conditions, each implement matched with appropriate tractor size was calculated. Costs of equipment use, ownership and operational costs for implements and tractors were also calculated. A well-drawn cropping field operations calendar was very important for crop and operational sequencing was recommended and was put in-place since the operations overlaps with multi-periods. As part of the recommendation, during the planned equipment downtime, major repairs and maintenance were to be carried out before critical field operation's period to improve pre-field and in-field efficiency for effective equipment and field operational planning and management. Determined are the values of each implement field capacity within allotted time available, actual number of implement/tractor power required, fuel and oil consumption per unit time for the sugar cane cultivation, harvesting and transporting operations at the sugar cane farm. Also appropriate earth-moving and earthwork equipment for road, irrigation and drainage structural works were also selected.

scholarly journals Comparative Evaluation of Maize Planters in Conservation Agriculture under Black Cotton Soil of Central India

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
C. P. Sawant ◽  
K. P. Singh ◽  
R. S. Singh ◽  
Brij Lal Lakaria ◽  
Anurag Patel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Central India ◽  
Field Capacity ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Black Cotton Soil ◽  
Inclined Plate ◽  
Maize Crop ◽  
Hybrid Variety ◽  
Field Efficiency

The present study was conducted at ICAR-Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Bhopal research farm to study the effect of no-till planters such as inclined plate planter and broad bed shaper-cum-planter on yield, energetics and economics of maize crop production and compared with conventional practices of maize sowing using seed-cum-fertilizer drill. The maize hybrid variety of DMRH-1303 was sown in kharif season of 2019 using inclined plate planter and broad bed shaper-cum-planter under wheat residue load 8 t/ha (HI-1544). The wheat was harvested by combine harvester and its residue was chaffed using shredder. The actual field capacity and field efficiency of inclined plate planter, broad bed shaper-cum-planter and seed-cum-fertilizer drill were observed as 0.31, 0.32 and 0.39 ha/h and 51.67, 58.18 and 76.47%, respectively. The energy consumption for shredding of wheat straw was 399.31 MJ/ha. The energy consumption was maximum in case of sowing with convention seed drill (1965.30 MJ/ha) including single pass of each cultivator and rotavator, which was followed by broad bed shaper-cum-planter under permanent bed condition (792.39 MJ/ha) and inclined plate planter under permanent bed condition (468.77 MJ/ha). The broad bed shaper-cum-planter and inclined plate planter saved energy consumption by 59.7% and 76.14%, respectively as compared to conventional seed-cum-fertilizer drill.The use of inclined plate planter (Rs. 652 per ha) or broad bed former-cum-planter (Rs. 664 per ha) could save 67% in cost of operation compared to seed-cum-fertilizer drill (Rs. 2017 per ha).

scholarly journals Risk of Low Productivity is Dependent on Farm Characteristics: How to Turn Poor Performance into an Advantage

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (19) ◽  
pp. 5504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peltonen-Sainio ◽  
Jauhiainen
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Production Region ◽  
Farm Type

The principle role of agriculture is to produce food for the increasing human population. However, the environmental footprint needs to be simultaneously reduced. Data from the Finnish Food Authority (181,108 parcels in the south-western crop production region of Finland) were used to identify the farming system, farm type, farm size, field parcel scale, physical parcel characteristics, cultivated crops, crop rotations and cultivars. Sentinel-2 derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values were used to identify fields with very low productivity. Thereby, the impacts of farm and field characteristics on risks of low NDVI values and their associated means of coping by the farmer were studied. High variations in field parcel characteristics and growth capacity were typical in the studied area. Although it is challenging for farmers, high variation can provide many opportunities for the development of multifunctional and resource-smart production systems, e.g., by optimizing land use: allocating high-quality fields for food production, and poorly performing fields for extensification, i.e., the production of environmental benefits. Many usable policy instruments are available to support such a transition, but more focus should be put onto the most efficient means to enable progress towards environmentally, economically and socially sustainable high-latitude agricultural systems.

Micro and Macro-level Analysis of Crop Diversification: Evidence from an Agrarian State West Bengal

2020 ◽  
pp. 489-499
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
West Bengal ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Structure Questionnaire ◽  
Crop Diversification ◽  
The Status ◽  
Block Level ◽  
Diversified Farming Systems

The farming system in West Bengal is being shifted by integration between the set of cash crops and the main food harvest process. This change in diversified farming systems, where smallholders have a production base in rice can complement production; affect technical efficiency and farm performance. The goal of this study was to investigate the status of crop diversification on smallholders in West Bengal. First, crop diversification regions were developed in West Bengal based on the Herfindahl index, which were categorized into three regions. Three sample districts were studied separately at the block level, and 915 small farmers from 41 sample villages of 9 sample blocks were interviewed through a good structure questionnaire for field studies from the sample districts. West Bengal was gradually moving towards multiple crop production. Furthermore, increasing rice production reduced the marginal use of inputs for the production of other crops. Farming and other vital factors such as HYVs area to GCA, average holding size and per capita income in some districts of West Bengal can be identified as determinants of crop diversification.

scholarly journals On-farm trees are a safety net for the poorest households rather than a major contributor to food security in Rwanda

Food Security ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alain Ndoli ◽  
Athanase Mukuralinda ◽  
Antonius G. T. Schut ◽  
Miyuki Iiyama ◽  
Jean Damascene Ndayambaje ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Income Sources ◽  
Agroforestry Practice ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Agroforestry Practices

AbstractThe world is challenged to meet the food demand of a growing population, especially in developing countries. Given the ambitious plans to scale up agroforestry in Africa, an improved understanding of the effect of agroforestry practices on the already challenged food security of rural households is crucial. The present study was undertaken to assess how on-farm trees impacted food security in addition to other household income sources in Rwanda. In each of the six agroecologies of Rwanda, a stratified sampling procedure was used where two administrative cells (4th formal administrative level) were selected in which households were randomly selected for interviews. A survey including 399 farmers was conducted and farmers were grouped in three types of agroforestry practice (i) low practitioners (LAP) represented by the first tertile, (ii) medium practitioners (MAP) represented by the second tertile and (iii) high practitioners (HAP) represented by the third tertile of households in terms of tree number. Asset values, household income sources, crop production, farm size, crop yield, and food security (food energy needs) were quantified among the types of agroforestry practice. A larger proportion of HAP households had access to adequate quantity and diversity of food when compared with MAP and LAP households. Food security probability was higher for households with more resources, including land, trees and livestock, coinciding with an increased crop and livestock income. We found no difference in asset endowment among types of agroforestry practices, while farmers in agroecologies with smaller farms (0.42 ha to 0.66 ha) had more on-farm trees (212 to 358 trees per household) than farms in agroecologies with larger farms (0.96 ha to 1.23 ha) which had 49 to 129 trees per household, probably due to differences in biophysical conditions. A positive association between tree density and food security was found in two out of six agroecologies. The proportion of income that came from tree products was high (> 20%) for a small fraction of farmers (12%), with the more food insecure households relying more on income from tree products than households with better food security status. Thus, tree income can be percieved as a “safety net” for the poorest households.

scholarly journals Economics of autonomous equipment for arable farms

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Lowenberg-DeBoer ◽  
Kit Franklin ◽  
Karl Behrendt ◽  
Richard Godwin
Keyword(s):  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Crop Agriculture

AbstractBy collecting more data at a higher resolution and by creating the capacity to implement detailed crop management, autonomous crop equipment has the potential to revolutionise precision agriculture (PA), but unless farmers find autonomous equipment profitable it is unlikely to be widely adopted. The objective of this study was to identify the potential economic implications of autonomous crop equipment for arable agriculture using a grain-oilseed farm in the United Kingdom as an example. The study is possible because the Hands Free Hectare (HFH) demonstration project at Harper Adams University has produced grain with autonomous equipment since 2017. That practical experience showed the technical feasibility of autonomous grain production and provides parameters for farm-level linear programming (LP) to estimate farm management opportunities when autonomous equipment is available. The study shows that arable crop production with autonomous equipment is technically and economically feasible, allowing medium size farms to approach minimum per unit production cost levels. The ability to achieve minimum production costs at relatively modest farm size means that the pressure to “get big or get out” will diminish. Costs of production that are internationally competitive will mean reduced need for government subsidies and greater independence for farmers. The ability of autonomous equipment to achieve minimum production costs even on small, irregularly shaped fields will improve environmental performance of crop agriculture by reducing pressure to remove hedges, fell infield trees and enlarge fields.

Small change: individual farm work and collective life in a western Nigerian savanna town, 1969–88

Africa ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 465-489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane I. Guyer
Keyword(s):  
Farming System ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Cropping Patterns ◽  
Farm Work ◽  
Small Change ◽  
Returns To Labour ◽  
Individual Farm ◽  
Ceremonial Life ◽  
Nigerian Savanna

AbstractA comparison of data collected in western Nigeria (the Yoruba area) in 1968-69 and 1988 suggests that small-scale male farmers' patterns of work remained quite similar in the total amount of work they did and in the amount by task. This finding seemed surprising, since the study area lies in the food supply hinterland of the rapidly growing cities of Ibadan, Lagos and Abeokuta. The farming system has changed in several ways in response to increased urban demand and improved transport, including an increase in farm size on the part of male farmers. Changed cropping patterns, the increased use of hired labour and somewhat increased returns to labour seem only partly to account for the persistence. Analysis of the work data in terms of its timing, rather than in terms of time, suggests that farmers are tending to work at the same task in longer stretches ofconsecutive days, and this, in turn, is related to the marked rescheduling of traditional ceremonial life and the intensified politico-associational life moved to the weekend.

Development of Three Row Self-Propelled Zero till Direct Seeded Rice Planter Cum Fertilizer Applicator

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-42
Author(s):  
Rashmi Anil Bangale
Keyword(s):  
Power Transmission ◽  
Field Capacity ◽  
Fertilizer Application ◽  
Rice Seedling ◽  
Rice Seed ◽  
Prime Mover ◽  
Inclined Plate ◽  
Depth Control ◽  
Direct Seeded ◽  
Field Efficiency

The agricultural operational holding in India is about 1.15 ha and 85.01 per cent belongs to marginal holdings (below 2 ha). This data shows an economic condition of the Indian farmer, which doesn’t allow him to adopt advanced agricultural machineries. Considering the situation of Indian farmer, we developed a prototype of three row self-propelled zero till direct seeded rice planter cum fertilizer applicator. This machine helps to plant a dry rice seed along with the fertilizer application with zero tillage condition. The machine includes inclined plate metering mechanism for seed; cup feed metering mechanism for fertilizer, seed cum fertilizer hopper, ground wheel, depth control wheels, inverted T furrow openers, 5 hp engine as a prime mover, power transmission system, adjustable handle, lever and rigid main frame to support all the parts and drive wheels. Machine is divided into two parts viz., prime mover part and planter cum fertilizer applicator part. Both parts can be separated from each other. The machine places the rice seed up to average depth of 25-40 mm and spacing between hills is observed to be 130-160 mm along with an average 20 cm of row spacing. The average field capacity at an average speed of 2.3 km.h-1 is observed to be 0.115 ha.h-1 for operating rice seeds. The field efficiency is observed to be 86.9 per cent. The operational cost is observed to be around 69.28 per cent less than the manual planting of rice seedling and also the man hour’s requirement is very less than the manual planting.

scholarly journals Socio-economic Factors Influencing Profitability of Rice Seed Production in Selected Areas of Bangladesh

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-40
Author(s):  
MZ Hoque ◽  
ME Haque
Keyword(s):  
Seed Production ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Influential Factor ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Rice Seed ◽  
The Government ◽  
Socio Economic Factors

Seed is the foundation of agriculture for enhancing crop production. The economic benefits from the improved quality seed production help scaling up the livelihood standard as well as nutritional status of the common people. The study was carried out in three districts namely Jamalpur, Gazipur and Manikganj to identify the socio-economic dimensions of the government seed production project beneficiaries persuading profitability of rice seed production. Data were collected through intensive survey of randomly selected 211 sample respondents using pre-tested interview schedule. To examine the profitability of rice seed production, the gross margin and cost benefit analysis were carried out. Co-efficient of correlation and multiple stepwise regressions were employed to find out the determinants of profitability in rice seed production. Rice seed production was not found to be so profitable as investment in rice seed cultivation can produce average BCR of only up to 1.44, where highest BCR was found in Jamalpur (1.58) compared to Manikganj (1.48) and Gazipur (1.26). The results revealed that socio-economic factors have a profound influence on profitability of rice seed production as these factors combined explained 54.9 percent variation. Farm size, contact with information sources, knowledge on quality rice production and age of the respondents were identified as significant contributors in profitability of rice seed production, whereas contact with information sources was the single most influential factor (24.6%). Therefore, steps may be taken so that the seed-growers could directly be linked with more information sources dealing with seed production and marketing through the government initiatives to boost up the production as well as to ensure appropriate price of the farmers’ home grown seed. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/agric.v12i1.19578 The Agriculturists 2014; 12(1) 33-40

scholarly journals Performance evaluation of power-operated reapers for harvesting rice at farmers’ field

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 144-150
Author(s):  
Md Ashraful Alam ◽  
Anwar Hossen ◽  
AKM Saiful Islam ◽  
Monjurul Alam
Keyword(s):  
Performance Evaluation ◽  
Economic Performance ◽  
Production Cost ◽  
Field Capacity ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
High Wage ◽  
Harvesting Time ◽  
Actual Field ◽  
Field Efficiency ◽  
User Friendly

Harvesting is one of the major labor intensive works in rice cultivation. Appropriate harvesting machinery is urgently needed to reduce labor and production costs. Production cost of rice becomes high due to labor shortage and high wage rate during harvesting time. Techno-economic performance of Korean self-propelled reaper (KR), China self-propelled reaper (CR) and BRRI reaper (BR) were evaluated in order to identify the field constrains and problems of the reapers at Mithapukur of Rangpur, Bangladesh during Aman season of 2013. The actual field capacities of the KR, CR and BR were found 0.18, 0.17 and 0.15 ha h–1with the corresponding field efficiency of 55, 68 and 56%, respectively. The variation of field capacity among the models was due to turning time losses, weight of the reaper and operator’s skill. The fuel consumption of the reapers was 4.11, 2.61 and 8.39 l ha–1 for KR, CR and BR, respectively. The shattering loss of paddy harvesting was 1.66, 1.50 and 1.45% for KR, CR and BR, respectively. The break-even area of the reapers was 9.15, 7.82 and 8.43 ha yr-1 for KR, CR and BR, respectively. It is evident that the reaper could be used successfully as labor saving and user friendly technology to eliminate post-harvest problems in Bangladesh.J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 16(1): 144-150, April 2018

scholarly journals MOTIVASI PETANI DALAM MEMPERTAHANKAN SISTEM TRADISIONAL PADA USAHATANI PADI SAWAH DI DESA PARBAJU JULU KABUPATEN TAPANULI UTARA PROPINSI SUMATERA UTARA

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-62
Author(s):  
. Reflis ◽  
M. Nurung ◽  
Juliana Dewi Pratiwi
Keyword(s):  
Formal Education ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Rank Correlation ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Rice Farming ◽  
Traditional System ◽  
Size Number ◽  
Rainfed Farming

This research aims to identify factors correlated significantly to the motivation of farmers in perseving traditional rainfed farming systems, such as using local seeds and planting once a year.  The population of this study is farmer who still perform the traditional paddy farming system in the Village of North Tapanuli Parbaju Julu County North Sumatra Province. As much as 48 respondents randomly selected from 160 farmers.  A descriptive analyse and Spearman rank correlation are applied in this study.   The study showed that formal education, farmers' perception of the traditional system of rice farming are correlated significantly to farmer motivation in preserving tradional farming system while non-formal education, the traditional system of farming experience, farm size, number of family members are not.  Factors that correlated significantly to farmer motivation in maintaining local seed is non-formal education, farming experience, while the traditional system of formal education, farmers' perception of traditional rice farming system, farm size, number of family members are not correlated significantly.  Furthermore, the number of family members is merely factor that correlated significantly to the farmers motivation in maintaining once a year plantings while others factors are not correlated. Key words: farmer motivation, preserving, traditional farming

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