Scale-Appropriate Farm Machinery for Rice and Wheat Harvesting: Updates from South and South East Asia
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Scale-Appropriate Farm Machinery for Rice and Wheat Harvesting: Updates from South and South East Asia Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia Scale-Appropriate Farm Machinery for Rice and Wheat Harvesting: Updates from South and South East Asia Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) 2021 Edited by Scott Justice, Stephen J. Keeling, Govinda Basnet and Timothy J. Krupnik Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia Scale-Appropriate Farm Machinery for Rice and Wheat Harvesting: Updates from South and South East Asia i The Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) was established in 2009 to promote durable change at scale in South Asia’s cereal-based cropping systems. Operating in rural ‘innovation hubs’ in Bangladesh, India and Nepal, CSISA works to increase the adoption of various resourceconserving and climate-resilient technologies, and improve farmers’ access to market information and enterprise development. CSISA supports women farmers by improving their access and exposure to modern and improved technological innovations, knowledge and entrepreneurial skills. By continuing to work in synergy with regional and national efforts, collaborating with myriad public, civil society and private-sector partners, CSISA aims to benefit more than 8 million farmers by the end of 2020. The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) is the global leader on publicly funded maize and wheat research and related farming systems. Headquartered near Mexico City, Mexico, CIMMYT works with hundreds of partners throughout the developing world to sustainably increase the productivity of maize and wheat cropping systems, thus improving global food security and reducing poverty. CIMMYT is a member of the CGIAR Consortium and leads the CGIAR Research Programs on MAIZE and WHEAT. The Center receives support from national governments, foundations, development banks and other public and private agencies. Correct Citation: Justice, S., S.J. Keeling., G. Basnet., T.J. Krupnik (2021). Scale-Appropriate Farm Machinery for Rice and Wheat Harvesting: Updates from South and South East Asia. The Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA). Kathmandu, Nepal. Printed in Bangladesh. Published in 2021 Design: Eliot Sánchez Pineda (CIMMYT). Creative Commons CC BY-NC: This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. This work was supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and USAID through the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA). The views and opinions in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the Gates Foundation or USAID and shall not be used for advertising purposes. Scale-Appropriate Farm Machinery for Rice and Wheat Harvesting: ii Updates from South and South East Asia Foreword With high rates of poverty, declining but persistent food insecurity, and an increase occurrence of damaging climate extremes, the smallholder-dominated agricultural systems of South Asia are under considerable stress while, at the same time, projections suggest that crop productivity will need to increase dramatically in coming years to ensure regional food security. Underlying these challenges is an aging rural workforce and a lack of interest among young people for making farming their profession. These dynamics contribute to an unprofitable present and an uncertain future. The promise of appropriate mechanization offers a pathway forward. At its best, new types of scale-appropriate machinery can greatly reduce drudgery and the costs of production while ensuring precision management and timely field operations. Moreover, when machinery services are provided by small and medium-scale entrepreneurs, new jobs are created that help anchor younger people in rural communities while labor-limited farms stay viable by purchasing essential services. Despite the promise of mechanized solutions, progress in the past decade has been uneven with success achieved in some geographies with certain technologies while others largely stagnate. There is much to learn from this experience. Facilitating mechanization transitions is a complex process. Adapted technologies must be available at the right price, in the right place, with the right enabling environment. In most cases this implies the need for strong synergies between the public and private sectors along with rigorous priority setting and strategic planning to assess the business case and to build a scaling plan for mechanized solutions that differs by technology and geography. I am delighted that this compilated draws together the diverse perspectives of researchers, extension officers, entrepreneurs, and private sector representatives from across the region. The conversations that inspired these articles draw upon rich insights that can only be reliably developed by understanding technologies in context, i.e. from the field where they are actually used by farmers and service providers. This compilation provides essential insights for ‘what’s next’ as we collectively learn how to bring mechanized solutions to scale. It reflects the types of critical dialogues that are essential for supporting transitions to a more sustainable and productive future for smallholders in the region. Andrew McDonald Associate Professor, School of Integrative Plant Science Soil and Crop Sciences Section Associate Professor, Department of Global Development, Cornell University and Former CSISA Project Leader Scale-Appropriate Farm Machinery for Rice and Wheat Harvesting: Updates from South and South East Asia iii Contents Foreword .....................................................................................................................................................................iii Contents.......................................................................................................................................................................iv Tables ...........................................................................................................................................................................iv Figures ...........................................................................................................................................................................v Boxes ............................................................................................................................................................................vi Authors and Editors ................................................................................................................................................vii Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................................................viii Chapter 1. Agricultural Harvesting Mechanization in South Asia in View and Review ........................... 1 Chapter 2. Agricultural Mechanization in Nepal .............................................................................................10 Chapter 3. Engendering Agricultural Mechanization in Nepal Lessons and Observations from Reaper and Harvester use in the Western and Far Western Terai ...............................16 Chapter 4. Agricultural Mechanization Policy Issues in Bangladesh ..........................................................22 Chapter 5. Mechanization of Crop Harvesting and Residue Management in India................................27 Chapter 6. Spread of Small Harvesting Machinery on Small Farms and Residue Management in Sri Lanka .................................................................................................30 Chapter 7. Mechanization of Paddy Harvesting and Rice Straw Baling in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam ...............................................................................................................36 Chapter 8. Crop Harvesting Technology in Smallholder Agriculture in South China .............................46 Tables Table 1. Current status and targets of agricultural mechanization ..........................................................11 Table 2. Timeline of agricultural mechanization in Nepal ...........................................................................12 Table 3. Government projects and NGOs, INGOs and other development organizations that support agricultural mechanization in Nepal .........................................................................14 Table 4. The division of pre and post-harvest farm labor, Tikapur, Kailali, Nepal (2019). ...................18 Table 5. Different sizes of axial flow threshers. ...........................................................................................31 Table 6. The performance of rice harvesting machines in Sri Lanka . ......................................................34 Table 7. Average performance of four rice straw balers, Can-Tho City, Vietnam, 2016. ....................43 Table 8. Specifications and prices of two popular balers in Vietnam. ......................................................43 Table 9. Estimated cost of buying and collecting 1 tonne of straw at two sites in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta (2015) .......................................................................................................44 Table 10. The four most common technical specifications for reapers in China. ....................................48 Table 11. Proposed