chapter one

1.Concepts of Agricultural mechanization

Definition, history, levels, objectives, benefits, limitations and status of agricultural

mechanization

Agricultural mechanization is a special field of Agricultural Engineering. It is a way of

improving farming operations through the use of machines, equipment and structures to
enhance productivity. This unit brings into focus the usefulness of agricultural
mechanization.
1.1. Definitions of Terms
Cultivation: The total assemblage of tools and techniques used to develop and
maintain soil fertility and crop production in garden and farm systems
Tillage: Mechanical manipulation of the soil to prepare seedbeds
Land shaping: Forming vegetable beds, concerns land height of 6 to 8 inches,
and may apply plasticulture
Primary Tillage: Course and deep tillage that cuts, fractures, and mixes the soil.
It creates a soil condition from which a seed bed can be prepared.
Secondary Tillage: Tilling which reduces the surface soil particle size; helpful
for seed bed preparation
1.2. Farm Mechanization
Farm Mechanization is the use of machines for various farm operations to encourage
efficiency and guarantee increased productivity.
It is also the application of engineering principles for operating farm machines with a
view to increasing farm operations and output.
1.3. Aims & Objectives of Agricultural Mechanization
As indicated in the definition, Agricultural mechanization is aimed at meeting the
following objectives:
To increase efficiency of production
To reduce farm drudgery
To encourage farmers to practice large scale farming
To increase yield of farm produce
To reduce farm hazards
To enhance the quality of farm produce
To ensure that farm work is carried out very fast. I.e. to encourage timeliness of
farm operations
 To enable farmers maximize their profits.
To reduce poverty and facilitate farmers to increase their incomes thus improving
their standard of living.
To save labour through human labour replacement with machines. In doing this,
labour is released to other services and industries.
To make farm work easy, interesting and attractive to youths.
To bridge the gap between the demand for and the supply of good quality food.
To supply agro-based industries with adequate and good quality raw materials.
To encourage investment in agriculture.
To facilitate the establishment of small scale industries and processing units in
the rural areas.

Chapter Two

Farm machinery refers to hand tools, animal drawn implements and power-operated
equipment used for performing various filed operations in the production of agricultural
crops. The use of farm machinery helps to achieve improved timeliness of farm
operations and efficient use of inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, chemicals and irrigation
water to enhance productivity of land and labor. The use of farm machinery also reduces
drudgery on the farm.
the fundamental principles of machanics, as wellas their practical application to
machinery, is necessary to acomprehensive study of farm machinery.
Force :-force is the action of one body upon another which tends to produce or destory
motion in the body acted upon. force may vary in magnitude and in method of
application. in general, force is associated with musular exertion
Work:- when ever aforce is exerted to the extent that motion is produced, work is
performed. work is measured by theproduct of the force times the distance moved.
Power.-Power is the rate of doing work. To determine the power used or transmitted by
a machine, the force must be measured,also the distance through which the force acts,
and the length of time required for the force to act through this distance.
Simple Machines.-A machine is a device that gives a mechanical advantage which
facilitates the doing of work.It is usually associated with such tools as grain binders,
threshing machines, mowing machines, and other machines. But really such machines are
made up of many simple machines.
There are six simple machines; namely, the lever, the wheel and axle, the pulley, the
inclined plane, the wedge, and the screw. These can be reduced to three, which are the
lever, the inclined plane, and the pulley. Any simpl~ machine is capable of transmitting
work done upon it to some other body. The mechanical advantage of a machine is the
ratio of the force delivered by the machine to the force applied. The force which operates
the machine is called the applied force.