Year: 2002
Type: article
Abstract: The availability of power is a pre-requisite for any agricultural activity whether the source is human, animal ormotorized. In developed country agriculture, the general availability of virtually unlimited amounts of farm
power in its different forms is almost taken for granted and comes almost exclusively from internal combustion
engines or electric motors. The human is just the “brain” and control of the system. However, in most
developing countries, the human is also a major source of farm power. Just how significant is this and to what
extent is human power used? How will this change in the future and can the required farm surpluses required to
feed burgeoning urban populations be produced from an agricultural situation in those countries which rely to a
large extent on human labour?
In developing countries there is a great variation in the proportional use of the three primary sources of farm
power. In some countries there is a dynamic situation in which human and animal power is being replaced by
mechanical power, but in others, farmers are having to give up mechanical and animal power and revert back to
human power. In some others which are tragically hit by HIV/AIDS and other diseases, even the human power
base is shrinking.
As we are moving into the third millennium, we take a look at the most fundamental requirement for progress in
the expansion and adoption of mechanized technologies: the present and future availability of farm power in
developing countries. In this presentation we would like to share with you some of the interesting factors which
are emerging from the work that FAO is carrying out as we believe that this is of vital importance if we are to
understand and attempt to influence the progress of agricultural engineering development into this millennium.
Source: eCommons (Cornell University)
Authors: Clarke, L., Bishop, C.
Language: English
Field: Energy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2109162490