TILLAGE MACHINERY SELECTION MODEL FOR COMBINED NONCONTIGUOUS FARMS
Keywords:
Non-contiguous pool farms, Small farms mechanization impediments, Field machinery cost models, Minimum-cost tillage machinery selectionAbstract
Small capital and fragmented scattered holdings hinder farm mechanization. These bottlenecks abound in smallscale
farms and in developing countries.Machinery transport considerations were incorporated into the Hunt-Wilson
least-cost tillage machinery selection model. The model was adapted to tillage implement capacity selection for noncontiguous
small farms.The prior width-dependent machine capacity input requirement of the Hunt-Wilson model
was circumvented, making the selection process less subjective and not susceptible to the user’s experience. The
model was validated with parameters from ploughing operations of the machinery hiring unit of the Anambra State
Ministry of Agriculture Awka, Nigeria. A 3.3651 m plough width adjusted from the width predicted for the 675 ha
with the developed model was considered adequate when compared with the adjusted required basal 2.1909 m size.
It was thus chosen for processing the farms. 4 units of 0.9 m working width (ie 0.3100 ha/hr) tractor-powered disc
plough which is locally readily available was chosen to provide the desired capacity. The 4 ploughs with 1.240 ha/hr
total capacity (ie 3.599 m width) will each be powered by a 48.5 kW tractor. The chosen set of machinery will incur
an annual plough machinery and transport cost per hectare of N12,866.95. The developed models will assist in
selecting cost-effective tillage implements including comparison of machinery alternatives within and across various
power sources.
