Impact of Agricultural Engineering as an input in agricultural production and food security

Engineering power for food security

Of all the modern agricultural technologies introduced in developing countries, mechanization has probably proved the most controversial. Mechanization has been blamed for exacerbating rural unemployment and contributing to other social ills.
In the 1960s, '70s and early '80s, large number of tractors were supplied as gifts from donors or on advantageous loan terms to developing countries. This practice severely damaged the reputation of agricultural engineering. Projects designed to provide tractor services through government agencies produced a miserable track record. These public sector tractor-hire schemes collapsed because of the distorted cost of capital as compared to labor and draft animals, chronic mismanagement and the intrinsic inefficiencies of any government-run machinery service. Who can forget the photographs of tractor "graveyards" in Africa?
The one-sided promotion of tractors and other capital-intensive mechanical power technology was a product of a lack of knowledge about or a narrow perception of agricultural engineering. In response to failures the aid community has largely turned its back on engineering inputs.

Structural adjustment programs have largely taken care of the ill-conceived programs. Apart from isolated attempts by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and small bilateral projects, few donors are allocating resources to more realistic farm engineering efforts. As a consequence, there are few remaining attempts to solve the problem of a chronic deficiency in farm power.
But developing countries still need labour-saving technology. The demand will rise naturally with a growing population's demand for food, particularly in industrializing countries where rural labor is becoming scarce. Concerns about rural unemployment and other social problems will no longer be issues if earlier mistakes are not repeated. What will be important will be to encourage sustainable private sector development that will offer farmers the right choice of technology at the right price to increase agricultural productivity, provide food security and reduce post-harvest losses.
Manual labour, agricultural tools, draft animals, implements and equipment are essential farm inputs - so essential that without them food production would be impossible. Often, it is not the lack of improved seed, irrigation or fertilizer that prevents increased crop production. It is simply that the farmer does not have sufficient human labor, draft animals or machines to make the most of his or her existing resources. In sub-Saharan Africa, shortage of farm power is often cited as one of - if not the - most important constraints to increased food production.
Consider the following:

A 1994 study by the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) found an increase in seasonal labor productivity to be a principal necessity to increase agricultural production in the humid and subhumid tropics of Africa.
The FAO Panel of Experts on Agricultural Engineering in 1994 emphasized the need to improve labor productivity as an important strategy to increase food production and offset the impact of HIV/AIDS on agricultural labor and crop production.
Another FAO study the following year confirmed many African farming systems face power constraints that, in turn, constrain agricultural production.
Recognizing the low power resources of the small farmer and the important role of timeliness in crop management for higher yields, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) has identified a need for research in tillage, planting and weed control as well as post-harvest techniques.
The FAO study World Agriculture: Towards 2010 estimates that the area not in use for crop production is 2.4 times greater than the area in use in 91 developing countries. Large increases in farm power inputs are required to bring a significant area of this unused potential into production.

Improved engineering technology offers great scope for increases in production and food security. The final report on an FAO mechanization project in China cited a 90 per cent increase in yield on farmers' fields for a double cropped wheat/maize farming system, largely as a result of introduction of no-till drilling and planting equipment. Other machinery produced high gains for soybeans, cotton, groundnuts and rice. And the no-till and minimum-till equipment proved highly beneficial to the environment.
Ignoring the need for adequate farm power and post-harvest facilities can prevent investments in land development and irrigation facilities from achieving their expected benefits. During the 1960s and early 1970s, several irrigation schemes were constructed with World Bank assistance in drought-prone Northeast Thailand. But most farmers did not adopt multiple cropping techniques because labor was scarce. More attractive off-farm employment was readily available, and the farmers did not have agricultural machinery to replace manpower.
The proper selection, utilization and management of farm power resources are crucial. Additional farm power or an increase in its efficiency can eliminate bottlenecks caused by labour shortage, particularly in multiple cropping systems or areas of low rainfall.
In turn, increased output will augment the demand for better techniques and technologies to carry out crop husbandry, harvesting and post-harvest work - storage, drying and on-farm processing. Improved rural buildings will be needed to store harvested crops and house livestock.
Agricultural engineering in all its aspects is helping find solutions to environmental problems. Improvements in pesticide application equipment can drastically reduce the amount of pesticide applied and thereby reduce health hazards and residual chemicals in the soil or groundwater. In Indonesia, replacing the cone-head nozzles of traditional knapsack sprayers with flat T-jet nozzles allowed farmers to cut the use of insecticides and fungicides for vegetables by 35 per cent without affecting yields and quality. Improved soil tillage equipment can help to prevent soil degradation and erosion.

Since women provide a disproportionate amount of labor on many small farms, gender issues must figure in agricultural production and engineering. Studies have shown that when an alternative source of farm power becomes available, it is usually the man in the family who uses it, which often leaves the woman as disadvantaged and overworked as before. Agricultural engineers must address this problem and disseminate information on alternatives.
Unsafe, unhealthy and inefficient working conditions are common in developing countries. The Indian Institute of Technology has found that one-third of all reported work injuries relate to agriculture. Of the estimated 5.5 million serious accidents that occur annually in Indian agriculture, many are caused by unsafe operation of threshers and using tractors for road transport. Training, disseminating information on machine safety and national safety legislation can help to reduce accidents and injuries. But ergonomics, the science of "human engineering", should also be incorporated in agricultural engineering.
Sustainable agricultural development depends heavily on agricultural engineering. Now more than ever, engineering is needed as a potent weapon in the fight to alleviate hunger and poverty and to protect the environment and human health.