Technical performance of developed appropriate technologies: Its utilization as an approach for sustainable Philippine agricultural mechanization

Abstract

The study related to the technical performance of the different appropriate technologies developed in Iloilo City, Philippines to introduce the agriculture sector machinery and equipment access and solutions towards sustainable agricultural mechanization operations. The utilization of agricultural equipment is cited as an important tool to promote agricultural modernization through the use of technologies, preserving the environmental and cultural components and incorporating socio-economic considerations in order to attain the sustainable development of both the food and the agriculture sectors. The six selected technological development are subdivided into three mechanization categories, namely: Crop Management Technologies, Size Reduction Technologies, and By-Product Utilization Technologies. They were all subjected to actual operating performance evaluation at a minimum of three test runs and the results were compared in terms of the minimum requirements set by the Philippine National Standards or Philippine Agricultural Engineering Standards (PNS/PAES). Results revealed that the important operating parameters such as operating efficiency of the technologies developed starting from postharvest (77% - 80%), to size reduction (92% -99.67%) and by-product utilization (8.4% - 13.1%) were computed to be within the Philippine National Standards or Philippine Agricultural Engineering Standards. These outcomes indicated the promising technical potentials when they are introduced in communities to the users.