agricultural mechanization: its role in the development … · agricultural mechanization: its role...

Agricultural Mechanization: Its Role in the Development of Civilization

Part 1- Agricultural Mechanization: a Success Story of Mankind Part 2- Agricultural Mechanization: a Key for Future Mankind Welfare

CLUB of BOLOGNA

25th Annual Meeting of the Club of Bologna November 15-16, 2014

Bologna – EIMA International 2014

Luigi Bodria – [email protected] K.T Renius – [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

CLUB of BOLOGNA



Luigi Bodria - [email protected]

Part 1 Agricultural Mechanization: a

Success Story of Mankind

Basic Development Paradigm

Agriculture → Food

Food → People

Agricultural Tools → Food Surplus

Food Surplus → People Free for Development

25th Annual Meeting – November 15-16, 2014 Key Note Bodria-Renius I

Agricultural Mechanization

The oldest technologies in the world = mother of future innovation

Still essential (or crucial?) for human survival and development


Population growth is closely linked to agricultural yield


Main steps of human development are linked to the increased efficiency of agricultural processes


Population (106)

Seed Efficiency

Labour requirement (man-our/ha)

Classical Age 200 1 : 2 -

Middle Age 350 1 : 4 -

Agricultural Revolution ‘700

600 1 : 7 1000

1950 2500 1 : 15 500

2000 6000 1 : 50 6-9

Innovation in the Neolithic Revolution



• Population: 1 - 200 (106)

• Growth rate: 20,000 (people/y)

• Seeding efficiency: 1:2

Neolithic Revolution 10,000 – 1 BC

Innovation in the Middle Age


• Handcraft and iron working • Improved plough • Improved animal traction • Water and windmill

Middle Age 1300 AC

• Population: 350 (106)

• Growth rate: 200,000 (people/y)

• Seeding efficiency: 1:4


Innovation in the Agricultural Revolution

•Better land management

•Improved crop and breeding system

•Agricultural tool become ag. machinery


Agricultural Revolution 1700


• Growth rate: 4,000,000 (people/y)

• Seeding efficiency: 1: 7

• Labour efficiency: 1000 (man-hour/ha)


Industrial Revolution 1800-1950


• Growth rate: 43,000,000 (people/y)

• Seeding efficiency: 1: 15

• Labour efficiency: 50 (man-hour/ha)


Global average yields of major cereals, 1961-2009



Undernourished in developing countries declined from over 30% to 15% in 45 years

2014 Combine Harvesting World Record Lincolnshire, 15 August 2014

• Total time: 8 hours

• Average yield: 9.95 t/ha

• Harvesting flow: 90.7 t/h

• Fuel consumpion; 1.12 dm3/t

In fifty years the fuel consumption per ton of wheat harvested is reduced to one third


Millennium challenges

•Sustainability of intensive production

•Food self-sufficiency for less developed counties


CLUB of BOLOGNA



[email protected]

Part 2 Agricultural Mechanization:

a Key for Future Mankind Welfare

25th Annual Meeting – November 15-16, 2014 Key Note Bodria-Renius II

Part II (Renius): Agricultural Mechanization: a Key for Future Mankind Welfare

1. The classical role: mechanization of plant and animal production, storage and processing in order to feed the planet

2. The recently added environmental role: mechanization of raw material and energy production & landscape maintenance in order to safeguard the planet and its resources

3. The strategic role: mechanization of agriculture to increase labour productivity in order to develop welfare of complete national economies

Three global roles of agricultural mechanization

Renius 2008: key note celebrating 50 years of agricultural engineering within VDI



Item 1 and 2:

Agricultural mechanization addresses

a) Land productivity

b) Labour productivity



a) Land productivity: Ag mechanization is one among several important factors:

Breading Fertilizing Irrigation

Plant protection Post harvesting methods Mechanization

80% plant production increase expected for 2050. Estimated population growth is „only“ ~30% , but additionally expected is a progressiv increase of animal, energy and raw material production!



b) Labour productivity: Ag mechanization is the by far the dominating factor :

Milking machine …....... factor (Renius 2008) 15 Two horses ploughing ….………..…..…..... 25 Small tractor ploughing ….……..……..….... 50 Multi purpose tractor mowing ………....…. 500 Large tractor ploughing …………............ 1000 Large combine ………………….........….. 4000

Objective: To reduce labour input, secure low food prices



Brasil 31 Combines, followed by 12 direct-seeders

Working power equal to about 100.000 hand workers … with reduced losses and rather better working quality

Source: Club of Bologna 2009 - E. Ch. Mantovani / Brasil


Part II (Renius)

GDP and

% working

people in

agriculture

Source: Bodria/FAO



Source: Fourastié 1963, Renius 2008

Three sector model: the case of USA



a high level of poverty a low level of infrastructure high illiteracy low expectation of life low drinking water availability high infant mortality often: low interest of investors

The three sector model and the global future:

A low level in agricultural mechanization usually means



The majority of the nations of this globe still needs a considerably higher level in agricultural mechanization.

How to realize?

An important general condition is Political stability and internal peace.

What can be done in ag engineering?



Globally planned tractor & machinery save costs for the industry and thus enables adequate prices for the farmer.

But :

How to meet the extremely wide span of demanded machinery specifications from „very simple“ to „high sophisticated?“



FORDSON F – 50% world market share around 1925, (Source: Renius farm)



Source: Renius 1999, CIGR Handbook III, chapter “Tractors: Two Axle Tractors”

Technology levels – a first step 1999



Technology levels – example complete tractor (2002)

Renius 2002: Global tractor development: Product families and technology levels . 30. Symposium Actual Tasks on Agricultural Engineering, Opatiya 12.-15.03.2002



Technology transfer: licences for blue prints Technology transfer: ISO standards Technology transfer: intern. co-operation Technology transfer: intern. publications Technology transfer: patents being expired Building up national ag engineering societies Improved national engineering education

Low tech machinery projects in de-veloping countries can benefit by



Productivity Product quality Traceability Sustainability

Upper technology levels: IT penetration benefits all important areas of farming:

Environment Energy efficiency Safety and comfort Farm management

See also Part I - Bodria



Automation in agriculture is based on the

cybernetic principle of “closed loop control”

Regulator Process Sensor

Disturbing factors

Feed back

Set value Output

(Maxwell 1867, ……….…….. , Isidori Club of Bologna 2012)


Integrated farming: Vision Auernhammer-Schueller 1999


agricultural mechanization: its role in the development … · agricultural mechanization: its role...

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