Farm machinery

ABSTRACT 4 September 2009. The authors are solely responsible for the content of this technical presentation. The technical presentation does not necessarily reflect the official position of the International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (CIGR), and its printing and distribution does not constitute an endorsement of views which may be expressed. Technical presentations are not subject to the formal peer review process by CIGR editorial committees; therefore, they are not to be presented as refereed publications. ABSTRACT The material embodiment in agricultural production systems is important because it determines the convergence of inputs (indirectly, the natural resources) into the crop. Besides this, the material flows are the basis for any environmental (energy analysis, emergy evaluation, life-cycle analysis and carbon inventories) and economical analyses. Since different materials cannot compose a single index, generally these flows are not shown and this fact makes comparisons difficult to be done. Another aspect that makes comparisons more difficult is the establishment of the studied system's boundary. If they differ, results will be different, disguising actual distinctions among systems. This study aimed to apply a methodology in order to determine material flows in agricultural production systems. A secondary goal is to show that machinery management can propitiate less material convergence into the crop. A diagram language to represent the analyzed system was adopted in order to establish the systems' limit. The determination of the material flows of indirectly applied inputs (fuel consumption; the machinery depreciation; and labor) included the determination of the effective field capacity, since the latter aggregates efficiency and is able to make data related to time to be related to area. Data of fuel consumption were compared with the models presented (the most accurate for the surveyed system was presented by Molin and Milan, 2002). The material embodiment of a maize silage production system was determined and compared with regional data, presenting similar data. For this system and a haylage (Tifton 85) production system the embodiment was calculated for different aspects (area, yield and qualitative aspects) in order to show the importance of establishing the limit of study and indicators. A comparison approaching the efficiency was also done, the variables considered were farm size, machinery use and labor requirement, efficiency increased more than the area increase.

Ideal puddling and settling period of soil could improve the seedling transplanting performance of the mechanical rice transplanter. This study was conducted to characterize the optimum puddling settling period for various soil textures. The plots were prepared by following all the possible operations to provide a favorable field condition. Each plot was transplanted at eight different times for settling period of 4 to 32 h in clay, sandy clay loam and silty clay loam textured soil. Primarily 76 hills were counted in each plot. Average planting depth was 6 cm while plants per hill were 7 in each field. The transplanting performance of the studied transplanter varied with the soil type and settling period of the soil before transplanting. It was observed that percentage of missing, damage and floating hills were 9.87%, 19.07% and 10.53%, respectively as the maximum values were found in clay soil at 4 h of settling period. With the passes of time, percentages of losses decreased and s...

This study was conducted to predict contact area (A) of bias-ply tire based on contact area index (CAI), inflation pressure (P) and vertical load (W). For this purpose, contact area of four bias-ply tires with different contact area index were measured at three levels of inflation pressure and four levels of vertical load. Results of contact area measurement for bias-ply tires No. 1, 2 and 3 were utilized to determine regression model and three-variable linear regression model A = 113.33-0.0023 CAI-2108.6 P + 33.429 W with R = 0.901 was P 2 obtained. Also, results of contact area measurement for bias-ply tire No. 4 were used to verify model. The paired samples t-test results indicated that the contact area values predicted by model were more than the contact area values measured by test apparatus. To check the discrepancies between the contact area values predicted by model with the contact area values measured by test apparatus, RMSE and MRPD were calculated. The amounts of RMSE and MRPD were 30.4 cm and 33.1%, respectively. Amounts of RMSE and MRPD confirmed 2 that the three-variable linear regression model may be used to predict contact area of bias-ply tire based on contact area index, inflation pressure and vertical load. On the other hand, to calculate actual contact area values or contact area values measured by test apparatus (A) based on contact area values predicted by model M (A) the linear regression model A = 0.920 A-20.08 with R = 0.916 can be strongly recommended. P M P 2

The insecticides that are used to protect the crop from insects and pests not only pose a financial burden on the farmer but also affect human health and the environment. In this study, a prototype is developed and evaluated in the cotton crop to see the effect of various speeds and different locations of airstream in respect of the plant to control the population of adult whitefly. The percentage reduction in the population of the whitefly was found to be increased from 38% to 42% with the increase in the blower speed from 1800 to 4050 rpm. The field efficiency was found to be decreased from 87.90% to 74.92% with an increase in the forward speed from 1.74 to 4.19 km.h-1. The damage to the crop in the form of damage to branches and damage of flowers/bolls was found to be increased from 4.44% to 5.30% and 1.04% to 2.02% respectively, with the increase in the blower speed from 1800 to 4050 rpm.

Ideal puddling and settling period of soil could improve the seedling transplanting performance of the mechanical rice transplanter. This study was conducted to characterize the optimum puddling settling period for various soil textures. The plots were prepared by following all the possible operations to provide a favorable field condition. Each plot was transplanted at eight different times for settling period of 4 to 32 h in clay, sandy clay loam and silty clay loam textured soil. Primarily 76 hills were counted in each plot. Average planting depth was 6 cm while plants per hill were 7 in each field. The transplanting performance of the studied transplanter varied with the soil type and settling period of the soil before transplanting. It was observed that percentage of missing, damage and floating hills were 9.87%, 19.07% and 10.53%, respectively as the maximum values were found in clay soil at 4 h of settling period. With the passes of time, percentages of losses decreased and s...

The material embodiment in agricultural production systems is important because it determines the convergence of inputs (indirectly, the natural resources) into the crop.  Besides this, the material flows are the basis for any environmental (energy analysis, emergy evaluation, life-cycle analysis and carbon inventories) and economical analyses. Since different materials cannot compose a single index, generally these flows are not shown and this fact makes comparisons difficult to be done. Another aspect that makes comparisons more difficult is the establishment of the studied system's boundary. If they differ, results will be different, disguising actual distinctions among systems. This study aimed to apply a methodology in order to determine material flows in agricultural production systems. A secondary goal is to show that machinery management can propitiate less material convergence into the crop. A diagram language to represent the analyzed system was adopted in order to est...

Dr.Annasaheb Shinde College of Agriculture Engineering

Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth,
Rahuri, Ahmednagar,Maharashtra.



‘Summer Placement Training Report’
At
North East Region Farm Machinery Training & Testing Institute (NERFMTTI) ,Biswanath Chariali-784176, District: Sonitpur, Sate: Assam., Assam



Report by

Mr.Butte Patil Pratik Rajendra,

On
Tractor & Farm Machinery Training

The majority of paddy is still processed through Engelberg hullers in Bangladesh, which are usually low capacity mills with a very high percentage of broken rice for simultaneous both the shelling and polishing operations.
This study was conducted to improve the shelling and polishing in such a way that less rice is broken and quality rice can be produced in an economical manner. In this regard, an air blowing type Engelberg rice mill has been developed in the BRRI research workshop based on AutoCAD design during 2012-2013. A cast iron roller is used in the Engelberg rice mill. The sharp and square edge Engelberg roller of the conventional Engelberg rice mill was modified to a curved edge in one side with a less sharp edge to reduce the breakage during milling by reducing the friction and sharing force during milling operation. In the Engelberg rice mill, a round type screen (without ambush) is normally used which requires higher pressure resulting more breakage. To avoid breakage and get a higher yield, ambush type, round and hexagonal screens were designed for the modified air blowing type Engelberg rice mill. It was found that the hexagonal type screen performs better than the round type. The angle of each corner of the hexagonal screen is 60
0
. In air blowing type of Engelberg rice mill, a blower is used to remove the husk and bran from rice inside the cylinder. The radius of the blower fan is 121 mm. The inlet and outlet radius of the blower is 77 mm. The blower not only cleans the rice from the husk and bran, but also reduces the temperature inside the cylinder, resulting in less breakage and higher head rice recovery as well as high milling yield. The husk and bran collection hopper used in the lower part of the Engelberg rice mill. In the outlet pipe, there is an air hole used to supply air so that the blower can get sufficient air for the suction of husk and bran. The modified rice mill were evaluated and compared with the conventional rice mill. BRRI dhan29 was used as parboiled paddy. The operational cost per hour of the two machines is almost the same, but the capacity of the modified air blowing type Engelberg rice mill is two and half times more than that of the traditional one. To process one ton of paddy by air blowing type mill, about 800 taka is needed, whereas 2,100 taka is needed for processing one ton of paddy with the traditional Engelberg rice mill. However, milling yield also increased by 2%. The modified air blowing type needs only one pass while the Engelberg rice mill needs at least two passes to get the white rice, and almost 1% paddy remains with the end product. With the modified air blowing type Engelberg, rice mill head rice recovery was increased by 1% compared to the traditional Engelberg rice mill. The modified rice mill is a promising technology for small scale farmers and rice traders in Bangladesh.

Sensor based VRT liquid fertilizer application is a suitable way to apply the nutrients for soil management of various crops. Time and resources can be saved using this technology but due to the special characteristics of cereal and tree crops like paddy and oil palm, dedicated designs of VRT liquid fertilizer applicators are needed to fulfill the nutritional requirement of respective crops. The proposed design of VRT liquid fertilizer applicator involves soil fertility sensors, speed sensor, flow control valves, flow sensors and pressure sensor. Design considers the variable fertilizer flow compensation with change in forward speed of machine between 2.5-3.5 km/h. Also this design offers the transfer of data from electronic controller to the external computer for record and performance testing of machine by computing the lag times of flow control valves and application error of machine. Originally, the design is for tree crop; however, with a slight modification in controller’s program, this will also be suitable for cereal crops like paddy. To apply the fertilizer, three DC pumps of 6.89 bar pressure and 5 L/min flow rate were used in simulation with the flow lines of 6 mm internal diameter. Flow simulation revealed that the system was able to achieve the 0.06 L/s at 13.73 m/s velocity at nozzles 1 and 2 (full cone nozzles) while nozzles 3 and 4(flat fan nozzles) were delivering the same flow rate but at a little high velocity of 13.94 m/s. A comparatively uniform distribution of fertilizer application may be achieved using flat fan nozzles.

Proper selection of energy-efficient agricultural machinery helps to reduce drudgery, increase cropping intensity and reduce time required for field preparation. With conventional tillage implements, multiple passes are required to obtain desired seedbed which increase soil compaction due to repeated movement of tractor in field. With combined tillage implements two or more tillage implements are combined to reduce time and fuel energy required for seedbed preparation. In this paper, various researches on active-passive and passive-passive configurations of combined tillage implements have been discussed along with their working principles. It was found that these were associated with less draft, specific energy, and tire slippage compared to conventional implements which provides a sound basis for using them with suitable engine power to improve the power utilization of tractors. Hence, use of these implements could help to reduce soil compaction, labour, fuel cost as well as save time in preparing seedbed. More analytical studies and classical approaches are needed to predict energy requirements of these implements from the knowledge of individual energy requirements of conventional implements to help in proper matching of tractor-implement and also to develop decision support systems. Considering their promising outcomes, they will emerge as effective tools to improve agricultural mechanization.

"This review article scrutiniz some of the vibrant technologies developed/ refined/ adopted to improve agricultural system productivity in the Eastern Indo Gangetic plains. Efficient agronomic research and technological development for improving
agricultural productivity in eastern region are the only options to feed our people under this difficult situation. These tested and refined technologies are not only capable of improving productivity in a sustainable manner but are equally efficient
in minimizing the outbreak of insects and disease pests. Important agrotechnology developed and refined for Eastern Region conditions are briefly discussed in this article."

This is a guideline for World Bank task team leaders (TTLs) entrusted with the design and execution of assessments to determine disaster impacts as well as post-disaster needs for recovery, reconstruction, and disaster risk reduction or management. Assessments estimate, first, the short-term government interventions required to initiate recovery and second, the financial requirements to achieve overall post-disaster recovery, reconstruction, and disaster risk management or reduction. The end product of the assessment is a comprehensive program of recovery, reconstruction, and risk management that will guide all actions in a developing country following a disaster. The damage and loss assessment (DaLA) methodology uses objective, quantitative information on the value of destroyed assets and temporary production losses to estimate, first, government interventions for the short term and second, post-disaster financing needs. The DaLA method ensures that the affected government, the Uni...

ABSTRACT Progress in sensors, controllers and mechatronics devices and the development of (semi-) autonomous systems that can travel safely on uneven terrain and perform many operations has encouraged research interest in the use of robotics for agriculture and forestry in hilly and mountainous terrains. Here, the main mobile configurations that are likely to be used for robotic platforms as implement-carriers (3-wheeled, conventional/articulated 4-wheeled, tracked) were reviewed and discussed in terms of their suitability for agricultural operations and their stability. A numerical index accounting for the lateral stability of a vehicle, the roll stability index, was used to indicate the in-field working capacity of these platforms during side-slope operations. Assuming the same overall dimensions for all the configurations, the 3-wheel configuration, although very simple and agile, was seen as being the least stable, while a tracked vehicle was the most stable, although it had some important drawbacks when used in an agricultural context. This drawbacks included increased soil erosion and landslides caused by its tracks especially in the areas involving turning manoeuvres. The articulated system was found to be the most suitable for uneven and side-slope terrains because of its optimal steering capacity, agility and good stability. It was found to reach a critical stability angle close to the 4-wheel vehicle.

A methodological approach for evaluating a priori the stability of agricultural vehicles equipped with different mounted implements and operating on sloping hillsides is shown here. It uses a Matlab simulator in its first phase and, subsequently, the Response Surface Modelling (RSM) to evaluate the coefficients of a set of regression equations able to account for the Type-I and Type-II stability of the whole vehicle (tractor + implement with known dimensions and mass). The regression equations can give reliable punctual numeric estimations of the minimum value of the Roll Stability Index (RSI) and can verify the existence of a Type-I equilibrium without the need of using the simulator or knowing any detail about the model implemented in it. The same equations can also be used to generate many intuitive graphs (“equilibrium maps”) useful to verify quickly the possible overturning of the vehicle. A case-study concerning a 4-wheel drive articulated tractor is then presented to show the...

ABSTRACT Progress in sensors, controllers and mechatronics devices and the development of (semi-) autonomous systems that can travel safely on uneven terrain and perform many operations has encouraged research interest in the use of robotics for agriculture and forestry in hilly and mountainous terrains. Here, the main mobile configurations that are likely to be used for robotic platforms as implement-carriers (3-wheeled, conventional/articulated 4-wheeled, tracked) were reviewed and discussed in terms of their suitability for agricultural operations and their stability. A numerical index accounting for the lateral stability of a vehicle, the roll stability index, was used to indicate the in-field working capacity of these platforms during side-slope operations. Assuming the same overall dimensions for all the configurations, the 3-wheel configuration, although very simple and agile, was seen as being the least stable, while a tracked vehicle was the most stable, although it had some important drawbacks when used in an agricultural context. This drawbacks included increased soil erosion and landslides caused by its tracks especially in the areas involving turning manoeuvres. The articulated system was found to be the most suitable for uneven and side-slope terrains because of its optimal steering capacity, agility and good stability. It was found to reach a critical stability angle close to the 4-wheel vehicle.

This study was conducted to model contact length (L) of radial-ply tire based on tire dimensions, viz., section width (b) and overall unloaded diameter (d), inflation pressure (P), vertical load (W) and rotational speed (N). For this reason, contact length of three radial-ply tires with different section width and overall unloaded diameter were measured at three levels of inflation pressure, four levels of vertical load and six levels of rotational speed. In order to model contact length based on dimensions, inflation pressure and vertical load, seven multiple-variable linear regression models were suggested and all the data were subjected to regression analysis. The statistical results of study indicated that the five-variable linear regression model L = 559.7-0.059 b-0.651 d-2.930 P + 0.320 W-0.009 N with R = 0.9715 may be suggested to predict contact length of radial-ply 2 tire based on section width, overall unloaded diameter, inflation pressure, vertical load and rotational speed for a limited range of radial-ply tire sizes. However, experimental verification of this model is necessary before the model can be recommended for wider use.

Pulse sheller was designed with a view to shelling different varieties of leguminous crops such as groundnut, cowpea, among others. The size of the existing machine was modified resulting in the redesign of virtually all components for pulse shelling. The sieve was initially designed with round holes which were suitable for cowpea shelling but not groundnut and an oval shape was redesigned for its shelling. The clearance adjuster was also modified to facilitate shelling of different crops varieties. The performance was evaluated using a local groundnut variety-" Bahaushiya ". A combination of four cylinder speed levels; 130, 140, 150 and 160 rpm and three concave clearances; 19, 21 and 23 mm, were used for the performance evaluation of the modified pulse shelling machine. The effects of some selected machine factors; cylinder speed and concave clearance, were assessed statistically in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) and Least Significant Difference (LSD) was employed to assess the effects of parameter levels. The optimum performance of the modified machine using groundnut crop was found at a cylinder speed of 160 rpm and a 21 mm concave clearance. These gave an output capacity, shelling efficiency, cleaning efficiency, scatter loss and damaged grains of 232.85 kg/h, 94.45, 96.95, 5.82 and 17.44 % respectively. The cylinder speed was found to have positive linear trends with the all performance indices at various concave clearances except grains damage. The results revealed that cylinder speeds significantly affected all the performance indices except output capacity while concave clearances have no significant effect on output capacity and shelling efficiency.

GPS systems and load cells are used widely in modern agriculture such as citrus yield monitoring. Traditionally farmers measure crop yield for whole field or for large sections. With the available modern technologies, high tech instrumentation and computer software it is possible to measure yield more specifically. Yield mapping is considered as the first step in precision agriculture and its purpose is to determine variability in the field. A citrus yield monitoring system usually records GPS and load cell data every second or less. This results huge number of data points in a harvesting season. After data are collected, they are sent to laboratories for interpretation in order to be converted to yield table which is then used in GIS software to create yield map. These yield maps reveal the harvested mass per unit area. Yield variability in citrus groves as shown in the yield map depends not only on agricultural and biological variables (such as soil nutrition and property) but also driver’s and machine’s performance. Farm machinery indexes play important roles in agricultural mechanization and technical managements especially during the busy pick periods when timing becomes an issue. Shortening machine operation time while keeping work quality is desired to produce optimum output. This can be done with predicting machine performances.
The purpose of this project was to eliminate the procedure of sending raw yield monitoring output data to laboratory by designing a standalone computer application that can be used on the farm and is capable of calculating yield table, field efficiency, machine capacity and field machine index and observing driver’s performance using one button click.

Abstract: Within last  two decades  farm  machinery,  and more specifically,  qualitative  side of  soil  tillage  and seeding  machinery in Estonia    has  significantly  developed . Terminology of this  field  is  not  remarkably changed  along  with.  In view of  this,  texts  of  the topic  tend  to  be vague,  sometimes , or having  a  trait  of  verbosity.  Commercial  names,  instead  of  inductive generalizations, are happening to be in use occasionally. With  this  work an attempt is made, to  eliminate  these  shortages,  meeting  practical , teaching  and  research (R&D)  needs.

The study was conducted in the field of Agriculture Faculty, University of Duhok by using different speeds of tillage: (4.21 , 5.25 and 7) km/h with three angles (35°, 45°, 55°) of the vertical disc plow, the effect of speeds and angles in bulk density, porosity, actual depth, slipping percentage, fuel consumption, field efficiency, and productivity. The results indicated that the interaction between the factors had a significant effect in some of the studied properties, the speed (4.21 km/h) and angle 35°w as better than other treatments, which was 6.17 % in slipping, while the speed (5.25 km/h) and angle 55° exceeded the other treatments in the actual depth, actual width, fuel consumption and field efficiency which was 14.40 cm, 2.81 m, 8.33 L/ ha, 72.07 %, respectively.

This study constitutes the status of power utilization in Phaphamau region based upon the survey conducted and data as references and hence proposing an estimated data of the current status of power utilization in Phaphamau region and more specifically its three regions: viz, Ganga-par, Gomti-par and Tarai. The three of four mentioned region vary when soil texture is taken into account. The regions are differentiated based on soil types as Arid or semi-Arid, Agro-climatic zone, weather and location. Based on these three different region's differences, the study was conducted for different farm categories of Phaphamau region to find the status of animate power, energy inputs and availability of farm machinery for particular category and regions. Based upon the study animal use was maximum (14.44%) in Tarai region for marginal farmers and minimum (2. 14%) in Ganga-par region for large farmers. Use of tractor drawn farm implements was maximum (56.66%) in Ganga-par for large farmers and minimum (8.11%) in Ganga-par region for marginal farmers. Animal energy was maximum (439.07MJ/ha) in Gomti-par region for small farmers and minimum (68.03 MJ/ha) in Tarai region for large farmers Human energy was maximum (343.44 MJ/ha) in Ganga-par region for marginal farmers and minimum (145.83MJ/ha) in Tarai region for large farmers. Machine energy was maximum (4148.65 MJ/ha) in Gomti-par region for large farmers and minimum (900.40MJ/ha) in Ganga-par region and maximum for small farmers Animal cost of energy was minimum (114.40'Rs/ha) for large farmers and maximum (733.04 Rs/ha) for small farmers. Human cost of energy was minimum (2932.9786 Rs/ha) for marginal farmers. Machine cost of energy was minimum (2757.86 Rs/ha) for marginal farmers and maximum (12615.31 Rs/ha) for large farmers.

Climbing coconut trees is an important activity in rural agricultural wage workers. Generally, skilled workers are employed to collect the coconuts from the tree. Agricultural workers employed for coconut tree climbing suffer musculoskeletal disorders than any other type of injury or illness. The developed tree climbing device (T 1) was evaluated based on ergonomical parameters and ergo refinements were carried out. The inclination of upper frame of climbing device is increased (T 1) with respect to the horizontal, while moving towards the top of the tree. As a result, the centre of gravity of the user moves towards outside of the body making him feel insecure and unstable. The upper frame of coconut tree climbing device was suitably modified to avoid downward inclination such that ergo refined device (T 2) improves the safety and ease of operation. The ergo refined coconut tree climbing device (T 2) enhanced the comfort and safety of male subjects with 7.8, 12.2, 10.7 and 20.5% reduction in heart rate, energy expenditure, overall discomfort rating and body part discomfort score, respectively and 2.6 and 4.1% increase in overall safety and ease of operation rating respectively when compared to T 1. The ergo refined coconut tree climbing device resulted in 20.6% savings in cost and 11.8% savings in time of climbing and harvesting coconut when compared with T 1 model

Calculating the most appropriate replacement policy for farm tractors is a complex exercise made even more difficult because of inadequate data on how resale values and repair costs vary with tractor age and hours of use. Accordingly, it is not possible to make any definitive statements as to exactly at what age a tractor should be replaced. However, analyses indicate that the most appropriate policies tend to be stable despite considerable variations in these parameters and hence a number of general statements and recommendations can be made. In most situations the fixed costs associated with tractor ownership and replacement are minimised by keeping a tractor for at least 15 years. However, there is considerable flexibility in this policy and in many cases, as long as the replacement cycle is not reduced to five years or less, the additional costs of early replacement may be balanced by other non quantifiable factors. These factors include pride, satisfaction, and a reduction in t...

... [2]. Popescu , S. Loghin, F., Totolici, , Ioana .. ... Proceedings of the International Conference ″Advanced Composite Materials Engineering ″, COMAT 2010, October 2010, Brasov/Romania [3]. Popescu, S. Development and experimental research of the central pressure control ...

The choice and setup of self-propelled forage harvesters (FHs) in the cost-effective production of quality silage must consider both energetic and zootechnical issues. A global evaluation of whole-plant harvesting operations includes an assessment of the fundamental in-field performance of the machines (theoretical field time and fuel consumption) and the physical and nutritional traits of the corn silage (particle size, dimensional fractions, and level of kernel breakage). However, finding the optimal settings for a machine while taking into account the variability of the field is difficult and experimentally expensive, as there are many factors that can influence these parameters and whose action is not yet completely known. All of these parameters were investigated through an experimental plan including different adjustments of the theoretical cut length (TCL; 10 to 20 mm), processor roller clearance (PRC), and roller speed difference (13%, 25%, and 60%) of the corn conditioner d...

ABSTRACT Agricultural Mechanization Program of Tribal Farmers of Goa Dr. Mathala Juliet Gupta , Dr. Narendra Pratap Singh , Er. Sumati Chavan Pandurnag & Poonam Bandekar ICAR Research Complex for Goa, Ela, Old Goa 403402, Goa, India E-mail: mathalajuliet@gmail.com ABSTRACT Goa is the smallest state of India in terms of size and fourth smallest in terms of population. The state has a geographical area of approximately 3,702 sq. km. The net sown area is around 40% and cultivable wasteland is around 12% of the cultivated land. Agricultural activities depend almost entirely upon the rainfall. But in spite of the low irrigation support these fertile areas have very high land productivity. The main staple food crop of Goa is Paddy followed by cowpea (Alsando), ragi (finger millet), mung and vegetable crops in rabi or wherever irrigation is possible Paddy again. The important plantation crops are coconut, cashew, areca and pepper, groundnut, turmeric, banana, pineapple and tuber crops are grown as inter crops in the plantations. Choice of farming as a profession in Goa is reducing due to increasing cost, non-availability of labour and falling productivity due to lack of timely inputs and maintenance. ICAR Research Complex for Goa under its Tribal Sub Plan Program entitled “Agricultural Mechanization for Small and Tribal Farmers of Goa” has distributed farm machinery and implements among tribal farmer groups to help them overcome the main problem of labour non-availability. Around 24 tribal farmer groups, 8 in 2011-12 and 16 in 2012-13 benefited through this program. A survey is also being conducted to obtain the feedback from the beneficiary farmers and to analyse the effect of this initiative on the farming operations. The study is continuing for this year too. Previous year’s feedback showed significant saving in time and finance for the farmers through the use of these equipment. Mini rotary tillers were very useful for farmers with small land-holdings and inaccessible land. Power tiller has replaced the bullock-drawn plough in most households where they were given and also the group gained extra income by letting the equipment be custom-hired by other farmers. They have used this income for maintenance and fuel charges for the machinery. Power reapers which were distributed in year 2011-12 were not very popular as they were very difficult to be used on the narrow land holdings with bunds in between and also inaccessible topography. Farmers stressed that they needed reapers with cutting width of 60 cm or less as compared to the present available cutting width of 120 cm. Brush cutters with paddy reaping attachments were more welcome and have been distributed last year in place of reapers. Need for access roads were a major barrier for the popularization of mechanization in the undulating land topography of Goa. Proper training and sensitization of the farmers will also promote the proper usage of the machinery and faster mechanization. The program is still in progress and very popular with the tribal farmers. Key Words: Farm mechanization, Power tillers, Power reapers, Mini Rotary Tillers