Four-wheel Tractor Research Articles

Use of wide-width tractor units in cotton growing

Abstract The article provides information on recommended traction and power balances of a cotton tractor used in sowing and cultivating 8 rows in growing of cotton seeded at 60 cm row spacing. The purpose of the research is to solve problem of aggregation of sowing and cotton cultivators with four-wheeled tractors and increase their operational-technological and technical-economic performance. According to it, conditions for aggregation of processing units with a tractor are given. The results of scientific and practical research and testing to determine and evaluate performance of machine-tractor units consisting of inter row spacing sowing and cultivators with four-wheel tractors were obtained and analyzed. The dynamics of a tractor in which all bridges are leading and moving forward at a constant speed along a sloping plane are studied. The result is traction balance equation that represents the total traction force of tractor. In particular, the issue of selection and rational aggregation of a tractor model that can be rationally aggregated with a Case-1200 pneumatic seeder has been resolved. It is determined the range of changes the traction resistance and power required to overcome it, the operating weight of tractor, mass and effective power of the Case-1200 seeder.

Assessing Preference of Four-Wheel Tractors among Farmers of Parsa District, Nepal

This study aims to examine attributes preferred by farmers of Parsa district for choosing four-wheel tractors. This study presents how farmers perceived their effectiveness based on common attributes of tractors like origin, brand, fuel consumption, horsepower, price, availability of spare parts, and their repair and maintenance. The study is quantitative and based on primary data. A non-probabilistic sampling technique was used with a sample size of 85. Conjoint analysis was applied to estimate part worth utility value, utility range and ranking the attributes of four-wheel tractor. The result show that farmers gave highest preference to fuel consumption with respect to highest utility value following horsepower, origin, price, availability of spare parts and repair and maintenance. Similarly, results show that branded and low-price tractor whose spare parts can be found easily in local market along with assured repair and maintenance facility available from authorised agency is preferred by farmers. Horsepower has been important attributes for tractorselection, where farmers are mostly preferring tractors having horsepower greater than 45 hp. This study findings will provide valuable tools and a basic framework for suppliers and manufacturers for evaluating their market efficiency and preparing strategies for promoting four-wheel tractors.

Field investigation of component failures for selected farm machinery used in small rice farming operations

Abstract Failure of farm machinery components is an undesirable event that often occurs during field operations and becomes a crucial problem facing rice farmers in Riau Province. The purpose of the research is to investigate the component type and failure frequency and find out the root causes of the component failures for selected farm machinery used by small rice farmers. The survey was carried out in three regencies of the province namely Kampar, Siak, and Indragiri Hulu from June to July 2022. The data were collected from personally interviewing 30 machine operators and 10 mechanics. Five types of farm machinery were selected for study, including mouldboard plows, rotary tillers, four-wheel tractors, rice transplanters, and combine harvesters. The machines have often experienced breakdowns on the field due to the failure of one or more components/parts. Mouldboard plows had the most component failures with 137 cases, followed by rotary tillers with 85 cases, and four-wheel tractors with 57 cases. There were 34 and 43 cases of component failures for rice transplanters and combine harvesters, respectively. The root causes of component failures were poor field conditions (30%), ignoring maintenance (22%), intensive use of machinery (21%), improper storage (14%), and unskilled operators (13%). The results recommend that machine operators must keep the work area clean before beginning operation, conduct regular maintenance, store farm machines inside and keep them clean from dust and filth, have the necessary training and experience to help reduce failures, and run their machines precisely at the maximum power levels to prevent needless strain and early failure.

3D Camera and Single-Point Laser Sensor Integration for Apple Localization in Spindle-Type Orchard Systems.

Accurate localization of apples is the key factor that determines a successful harvesting cycle in the automation of apple harvesting for unmanned operations. In this regard, accurate depth sensing or positional information of apples is required for harvesting apples based on robotic systems, which is challenging in outdoor environments because of uneven light variations when using 3D cameras for the localization of apples. Therefore, this research attempted to overcome the effect of light variations for the 3D cameras during outdoor apple harvesting operations. Thus, integrated single-point laser sensors for the localization of apples using a state-of-the-art model, the EfficientDet object detection algorithm with an mAP@0.5 of 0.775 were used in this study. In the experiments, a RealSense D455f RGB-D camera was integrated with a single-point laser ranging sensor utilized to obtain precise apple localization coordinates for implementation in a harvesting robot. The single-point laser range sensor was attached to two servo motors capable of moving the center position of the detected apples based on the detection ID generated by the DeepSORT (online real-time tracking) algorithm. The experiments were conducted under indoor and outdoor conditions in a spindle-type apple orchard artificial architecture by mounting the combined sensor system behind a four-wheel tractor. The localization coordinates were compared between the RGB-D camera depth values and the combined sensor system under different light conditions. The results show that the root-mean-square error (RMSE) values of the RGB-D camera depth and integrated sensor mechanism varied from 3.91 to 8.36 cm and from 1.62 to 2.13 cm under 476~600 lx to 1023~1100 × 100 lx light conditions, respectively. The integrated sensor system can be used for an apple harvesting robotic manipulator with a positional accuracy of ±2 cm, except for some apples that were occluded due to leaves and branches. Further research will be carried out using changes in the position of the integrated system for recognition of the affected apples for harvesting operations.

PAU Smart Seeder: a novel way forward for rice residue management in North-west India

In winter, the paddy residues become wet during morning and late evening due to dew, which restricts the operation of sowing machines (Happy Seeder and Super Seeder) into paddy residues, as wet residues do not slide on furrow openers/tines. A PAU Smart Seeder (PSS) was developed and evaluated for a four-wheel tractor that can sow wheat with optimum crop establishment in combined harvested rice fields. The PSS were evaluated for its performance under varying straw load, forward speed, and rotor speed in terms of fuel consumption, field capacity, seed emergence, and grain yield. The crop establishment and wheat yield of PSS was also compared with the existing straw management machines Happy Seeder (HS) and Super Seeder (SS) under heavy paddy residue conditions. The effect of the straw load was more pronounced on dependent variables than the effect of the speed index. PSS performance was best at a forward speed of 2.6 km h−1, rotor speed of 127.5 rpm, and a straw load of 6 t ha−1. Average fuel consumption using PSS was lower than SS but higher than HS. Wheat emergence was higher by 15.6 and 25.7% on the PSS plots compared to HS and SS, respectively. Average wheat grain yield in PSS plots was significantly higher by 12.7 and 18.9% than SS and HS, respectively in one experiment, while the grain yield was similar for both PSS and HS in other experiments. PSS has a novel mechanism to manage paddy straw and simultaneously sow wheat into a heavy straw load (> 8 t ha−1) mixture of anchored and loose straw. In conclusion, PSS showed promise for in-situ management of rice straw as it eliminates most of the operational problems encountered by the existing seeders (HS and SS).

Towards inclusive mechanization? Two-wheel tractor-based service markets in Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, and Zimbabwe

PurposeAfrican agricultural mechanization could lead to a mechanization divide, where only large farms have access to machines. Technological solutions such as scale-appropriate machines and institutional solutions like service markets offer hope for more inclusive mechanization. Two-wheel tractor-based service markets combine both technological and institutional elements, but there is limited research on their economic viability and challenges.Design/methodology/approachWe analyze the economic viability of two-wheel tractor-based service provision based on data from service providers in Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, and Zimbabwe. We also examine the institutional framework conditions for such service providers based on qualitative interviews with these service providers and stakeholders such as machinery dealers, spare parts providers, and banks.FindingsTwo-wheel tractor-based service provision is economically highly viable, largely due to multifunctionality. Post-production services such as threshing and transportation are particularly lucrative. However, the emergence and economic sustainability of service providers can be undermined by bottlenecks such as access to finance, knowledge and skills development, access to fuel and spare parts, and infrastructure problems.Originality/valueThis is the first study on the economics of two-wheel tractor-based service provider models. Past studies have focused on large four-wheel tractors, but two-wheel tractors are different in many aspects, including regarding investment costs, repair and maintenance costs, capacity, and multifunctionality.

A GIS-based land suitability model for agricultural tractors in CALABARZON Region, Philippines

Agricultural machinery distribution programs are key components of the Philippine government to strengthen its economic productivity. However, concerns were reported that some of the distributed machines were under-utilized or unutilized in their respective farms. This study is focused on the development of a GIS-based model of determining suitable lowland rice areas for two-wheel and four-wheel tractors. A numerical rating system was designed that assigns a suitability score from three criteria, namely slope, road network proximity, and flood risk, based on established scales. Analytical Hierarchy Process was used as an approach to determine the relative influence in which results show that slope has the greatest weight (65%) followed by flood risk and road network proximity with 20% and 15%, respectively. The total suitability score (TSS) is then determined by getting the weighted average of the individual suitability scores. Land suitability mapping on the study area, the CALABARZON region, show that majority of the lowland rice areas are highly suitable for two-wheel and four-wheel tractors (81.39%) while some areas fall under marginal (15.03%) and moderate suitability (3.58%). Geotagged locations of the distributed agricultural tractors from 2015 to 2020 reveal that 78% of the distributed two-wheel tractors and 80% of four-wheel tractors in the region are situated in highly suitable areas. The GIS-based suitability model generated in this study can be utilized by the government to improve its machine distribution programs of two-wheel and four-wheel tractors in lowland rice farms.

Evaluation of Operator’s Competence to Operate and Maintain Farm Machines in Riau Province, Indonesia

The operation of farm machinery requires an operator with better operational and technical skills to ensure efficient and effective use of the machinery. These competences are necessary to avoid breakdowns during field operations that can affect machine operating costs. This research aims to evaluate the operators’ competence in the operation and maintenance of farm machinery. Field surveys were conducted in three regencies of the Riau Province, namely Kampar, Indragiri Hulu, and Siak regencies. 63 machine operators were purposively selected and interviewed using structured questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed using the descriptive-quantitative technique. The type of farm machines operated by the operators in the province included two-wheel tractors, four-wheel tractors, water pumps, rice transplanters, power threshers, combine harvesters, and rice milling units. Most operators can operate more than one type of farm machine. The competency of most operators to repair farm machinery is very poor because of a lack of training. Most operators get skills in machine operators from self-learning and other operators (friends). Therefore, the results suggest that machine operators must be well-trained in operational and technical skills, especially in the excellent operation and proper maintenance of farm machines, to avoid machine damage during field operation.

Ensuring the reliability of adjusting the clearance of a four-wheel tractor

In cotton growing, three-wheeled tractors are used for inter-row processing of cotton. Despite good agrotechnical permeability, they have significant specific disadvantages associated with low resistance, the impossibility of using them for transport work and, most importantly, a negative technogenic impact on the soil. To eliminate these shortcomings of a three-wheeled tractor, “DTCAE LLC” developed a design for a four-wheeled tractor with adjustable ground clearance. Clearance adjustment, which is carried out by a screw mechanism, selected in such a way that the force of the operator would be sufficient to create a torque to drive it, but at the same time there would be no spontaneous rotation of the screw under the influence of axial force arising from the gravity of the tractor. The article presents a method for calculating the parameters of a screw-nut pair, which excludes spontaneous rotation of the screw under the influence of axial force arising from the gravity of the tractor and thereby ensures the reliability of the screw mechanism for adjusting the tractor clearance.

Animal traction, two-wheel tractors, or four-wheel tractors? A best-fit approach to guide farm mechanization in Africa

Summary Farm mechanization promises to help raise labor productivity and reduce the heavy toil of farming on the world’s millions of smallholder farms, hence contributing to socioeconomic development in the Global South, in particular in Africa. While mechanization is therefore high on the African development agenda, there are heavy – at times dogmatic – debates on which technological pathway toward farm mechanization – animal traction, two-wheel tractors, and four-wheel tractors – should be supported by African governments and development partners. One discussion area relates to the future of animal traction. Proponents see a continued scope for the use of draught animals, whereas opponents see animal traction as old-fashioned and see a potential to leapfrog this mechanization stage. There are also debates on the potential of two-wheel tractors, with proponents arguing that such walk-behind tractors are more affordable and suitable for smallholder farmers, and opponents believing that such tractors lack efficiency and power and still come with a high drudgery. This paper argues that there are no blueprint answers on which technological pathway is ‘best’ but only answers on which one ‘best fits’ the respective conditions. Based on this premise, this paper introduces a ‘best-fit’ framework that allows for assessing the comparative advantages and disadvantages of the three technological pathways in different agroecological and socioeconomic conditions. The results suggest that all three forms of mechanization are associated with areas where they ‘best fit’. All three farm mechanization pathways hinge on public policies and investments to create an enabling environment for private markets, as, ultimately, innovation processes should be market driven. The ‘best-fit’ framework enables governments and development partners to focus efforts to support farm mechanization on solutions that ‘best fit’ their country’s farming systems and not on those that are politically most attractive, thereby contributing to sustainable agricultural mechanization and development.

Design and Development of a Low-Cost Fuel Consumption Meter for the Performance Testing of Agricultural Machinery

The fuel consumption of an engine is an essential parameter that needs to be measured during the testing of an agricultural machinery. Commercially available fuel meters are expensive. The purpose of the study is to develop a fuel meter with data logging capabilities using inexpensive materials. The developed fuel meter follows the gravimetric principle in which the initial and final weights of the fuel after a specified amount time has elapsed are obtained and used to calculate the fuel consumption. The main components were the Arduino UNO microcontroller, data logging shield, and a load cell sensor. It was calibrated for diesel and gasoline fuels during the actual testing of different agricultural machinery such as centrifugal pumps, small engines, two-wheel tractors, and four-wheel tractors. Data were compared to the existing fuel meter and calibration curves were generated. Separate tanks were used for both the gasoline and diesel fuel to avoid mixing of fuels and damaging the engine. The generated equations for diesel fuel (y = 1.0957x – 0.0962) and for gasoline fuel (y = 0.8551x – 0.0017) were implemented in the Arduino code. A paired T-test was conducted and it showed that at a 5% level of significance, there is no significant variation in the data before calibration (p= 0.054) and after calibration (p= 0.550) for diesel fuel. While at a 5% level of significance, there is a significant variation in the data before calibration (p=1.03e-8 ) for gasoline fuel but showed no significant variation after calibration (p=0.610). In comparison to the existing fuel meter (Ono Sokki FX-1100 Series), the percent difference obtained before calibration ranges from 1.05% to 27.12%, and after calibration ranges from 0% to 6.39% for diesel fuel. The percent difference obtained before calibration ranges from 10.18% to 19.96% and 2.03% to 9.40% after calibration for gasoline fuel in comparison to the volumetric method fuel meter of AMTEC. After performing calibration and statistical analysis, the developed fuel meter can be considered as good as the existing fuel meters of AMTEC. The researchers recommend to provide dampers to isolate the vibration that affects weight measurement during testing or use a different sensor like an inline flow sensor to eliminate this problem. The inline flow sensor also allows the design of the fuel meter to be simpler and it will be easier to transport and use during field testing of agricultural machinery. An inline flow sensor with a wide range of capacity would be applicable for testing of agricultural machinery

Course stability models of a wide-width tractor unit

The purpose of the research is to provide for solving dynamic problems of course stability of a wide-width sowing and row-crop-tractor unit. For constructing a computational scheme for the generated problem applied the central finite-difference method with a second-order accuracy. When developing a machine algorithm, the fractional grid steps are converted by formulas and a vector equation is obtained. The results of scientific and practical research and testing to determine and evaluate performance of machine-tractor units (MTU) consisting of inter row spacing sowing and cultivators with four-wheel tractors were obtained. Studies on appropriateness of increasing coverage area of cotton units based on field size have shown that the shift productivity of eight-row units at planting was lower than that of four-row units when the field area was less than 3 hectares. When the field area was 3 hectares or more, the MTU’s productivity increased by 32–34%. A similar trend has been observed in the inter-row processing units. Field experiments have shown that it is advisable to maintain the existing four-row machine system on the basis of existing energy vehicles for 27-30% of cotton fields. Cauchy problem for finite-difference equations of dynamic problems of course stability of a wide-cut sowing and tilled-tractor unit was formed, in the form of algebraic equations. As a result, it was possible to build 6-, 8- and 10-row cultivator units based on four-wheel tractors.

Comparison of mechanized conservation agriculture and conventional tillage in Zambia: A short-term agronomic and economic analysis

The rise of medium-scale farmers across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is offering Conservation agriculture (CA) a new perspective. Such farmers not only cultivate increasingly large land areas but also provide machinery services, share knowledge, and can act as role models to smallholders. Although mechanization may incentivize CA adoption in SSA, little research has focused on the performance of mechanized CA using four-wheel tractors (4WTs). This study explores the short-term agronomic and economic differences between mechanized conventional tillage and mechanized CA. An on-farm experiment was set up in a randomized complete block design in Zambia to compare 1) disc harrowing (DH) plus residue burning, 2) ripping tillage (RT), and 3) direct seeding (DS) plus soil cover. The experiment focused on maize and soyabean and covered two years, of which the first was more “dry” and the second more “wet”. All treatments were replicated four times and crops were rotated in the subsequent season. All operations were performed using a 60 hp 4WT. For both maize and soyabeans, DS and RT treatments resulted in higher grain yields during the dry season than DH. However, in the wet season, DH and RT resulted in significantly higher yields than DS for maize, but not for soyabeans. RT and DS plots showed higher plant densities in maize and soyabeans at germination and maturity than DH plots. RT plots produced significantly higher maize vegetative biomass (5928 kg ha−1) in the dry season while in the wet season DS recorded significantly higher biomass yields (7886 kg ha−1). The cumulative time for all agronomic operations except harvesting for both maize and soyabean was significantly lower in DS while DH and RT treatments recorded no significant differences. Fuel-saving was significantly higher in DS and RT than in DH plots for the two crops. Maize gross margin was highest in DS plots (US$790 ha-1) in the dry season compared to US$746 ha-1 for DH and US$768ha-1 for RT. In the wet season, DH plots had the highest gross margins for maize (US$685 ha-1) as compared to US$576 ha-1 for DS and US$581 ha-1 for RT. Regarding soyabeans, DS treatments had the highest gross margins in both seasons, US$537 ha-1 and US$392 ha-1, respectively. The results of this short-term study demonstrate the potential of mechanized CA among small and medium-scale farmers in SSA.

Dynamic analysis of the performance of the mechanism for changing the base of a four-wheel tractor

A mechanism is developed for changing the base of a tractor operating on bogharic and arable lands with an uneven surface in mountainous and foothill areas. When using the Ц100 hydraulic cylinder as a working power body, the operability of the proposed mechanism on all supporting surfaces was confirmed. Keywords: base, front beam, spar, hydraulic cylinder, loading, maneuverability. tractor-v@mail.ru, abrorkarimov@bk.ru, kdu.317@mail.ru

Effectiveness of Cover Crop Termination Methods on No-Till Cantaloupe

In a no-till system, there are many different methods available for terminating cover crops. Mechanical termination, utilizing rolling and crimping technology, is one method that injures the plant without cutting the stems. Another popular and commercially available method is mowing, but this can cause problems with cover crop re-growth and loose residue interfering with the planter during cash crop planting. A field experiment was conducted over three growing seasons in northern Alabama to determine the effects of different cover crops and termination methods on cantaloupe yield in a no-till system. Crimson clover, cereal rye, and hairy vetch cover crops were terminated using two different roller-crimpers, including a two-stage roller-crimper for four-wheel tractors and a powered roller-crimper for a two-wheel walk-behind tractor. Cover crop termination rates were evaluated one, two, and three weeks after termination. Three weeks after rolling, a higher termination rate was found for flail mowing (92%) compared to lower termination rates for a two-stage roller (86%) and powered roller-crimper (85%), while the control termination rate was only 49%. There were no significant differences in cantaloupe yield among the rolling treatments, which averaged 38,666 kg ha−1. However, yields were higher for cereal rye and hairy vetch cover crops (41,785 kg ha−1 and 42,000 kg ha−1) compared to crimson clover (32,213 kg ha−1).

Animal traction, two-wheel tractors, or four-wheel tractors? A best-fit approach to guide farm mechanization in Africa

Animal traction, two-wheel tractors, or four-wheel tractors? A best-fit approach to guide farm mechanization in Africa

Rotary Plow Modification of Four-Wheel Tractor Type Iseki 504 for Making Beds

This research aimed to modify the rotary plow into a bed-making tool. The performance test of the bed-making tool was carried out on sandy and loamy land by experimental method. The dimensions of the bed including the length, width, and height of the bed as well as the time are also measured in the tool performance test. The bed-making tool has a total length of 182 cm, the length of the right and left sides of each was 51 cm, the width was 25 cm and the height was 30 cm. The test of the bed-making tool by a four-wheel tractor was carried out on sandy land at a distance of 10 m and a loamy land at a distance of 25 m, bed making was performed 5 times. Experimental results on sandy land showed that the average bed height was 23.6 cm; the bottom width was 80 cm, and the top width bed was 56.4 cm with a processing time of 2.12 minutes. Loamy land testing showed that the average bed height was 21.2 cm; the bottom width was 80 cm, the top width was 58.8 cm with a processing time of 4.27 minutes. Based on the test results on two different types of land, it can be seen that the tool works more effectively and efficiently on sandy land than loamy land.

The sustainable agricultural mechanization of rice farming and its impact on land productivity and profit in Lampung Tengah Regency

The mechanization of rice farming has been fast developing since implementing the special effort (Upsus) program in 2015. Through this program, many combine harvesters and four-wheel tractors had been distributed to the farmer groups. This study’s objectives were to know the practice of sustainable agricultural mechanization, know its impact on land productivity and profit for rice farming, and know whether sustainable agricultural development in Lampung Tengah Regency. This study was conducted at three sub-districts, Central Lampung Regency, in August and September 2020. Respondents were 108 farmers with 359 observations since each respondent was interviewed for 3-4 previous planting seasons, and an observation was a rice farm in a planting season. To know the practice of the mechanization, the data were analyzed descriptively. To know its impact, the data were analyzed using two multiple regression analysis models, each of which the dependent variable is productivity and profit. The independent variables for these two models were the mechanization types, the treatment variables, and the planting seasons and location, which were the control variables. The results revealed that the 4-wheel tractors were more efficient than that of the 2-wheel tractors. Combining harvester (CH) was the most efficient in harvesting than that of manual cutting and thresher and full manual harvesting. The results revealed that statistically, with the level of significance (α) by 1%, the combined harvester’s use increased the average productivity by 0.16 tonnes/ha or almost 3%, i.e., from 5.51 tonnes/ha to 5.67 tonnes/ha. They increased the average profit by IDR2.44 million/ha or 40%, i.e., from IDR6.10 million/ha to IDR8.54 million/ha. These findings revealed that the use of a tractor together with a combine harvester was sustainable agricultural development.

Assessment of Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Organization (ARBO) under the Agrarian Reform Community Connectivity and Economic Support Services (ARCCESS) Project (2nd Cycle) of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)

Generally, the study aimed to evaluate the Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Organization (ARBO) under the Agrarian Reform Community Connectivity and Economic Support Services (ARCCESS) Project (2nd Cycle) of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). Specifically, it aimed to (1) Describe the Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Organization (ARBO) profile; (2) Identify the activities conducted during the project implementation; (3) Ascertain the status of Common Service Facilities (CSFs) provided, and the benefits obtained by the ARBO in the project; and (4) Identify areas for improvement and recommend ways to improve them. This study was conducted in Sitio Sapang Kubo Primary Multi-Purpose Cooperative (SSKPMPC) in Sta. Rosa, Nueva Ecija. Data were collected covering two seasons, during wet and dry periods of crop year 2014-2015. The Sitio Sapang Kubo PMPC is a CDA registered cooperative located at Barangay Tagpos within the MaTaLiMa ARC in Sta. Rosa, Nueva Ecija. The coop was registered on January 26, 1999. The Cooperative Registration Number (CRN): 0107030189 and Registration/Confirmation Number of PGA-3435. It has new certificate of registration under RA 9520 in 2010. The trainings conducted were on Collection of Soil Samples, Integrated Nutrient Management and Tractor Operation, Management and Trouble Shooting. Coaching was done on vermi-composting by the CLSU AES team. The trainings conducted were briefly discussed. CSF status in SSKPMPC, a total of four hand tractors, two reapers and two threshers were delivered in April 2013. All of these CSF were functional with four member operators, two in hand tractors and two in threshers. Reapers were only use once because long palay stalks harvested by these CSF is not applicable for threshing. The ARBO received one unit four-wheel tractor awarded by DAR with complete implements and trailer in September 2015. The reapers were used only once, since the palay has long stalk when harvested by reaper and is not applicable for the threshers given by DAR. Recommendation includes the increase in productivity and income through capacity building by continuous learning and sharing of new and appropriate rice production technologies between and among coop members. The rice and vegetables techno guides must be reviewed and discussed during monthly meetings. Crop and animal diversification, coop members and their families can engage in other short duration crops, raise animals like goat, native chicken and native pigs. Enhancement of Common Service Facilities (CSF) Operations by construction of CSF shed with fence and designated security personnel. The coop must prepare a CSF business plan and assign a CSF project coordinator with clear terms of reference. Incentives can be given to the CSF coordinator or manager in the future. The coop must start farm mechanization to reduce production cost. The coop must open their eyes, mind and heart to new technologies like combine to make rice production competitive and fast track farm activities. Agribusiness/Enterprise Development by conducting a regular business planning, monitoring and assessment. Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification process can be started with the help of NGAs and LGU of Sta. Rosa to become globally competitive. The coop can expand their input trading and maybe palay trading in the future. All products and services must be competitive locally and globally in terms of volume, quality and quantity. Cooperative Development by improving the coop strategy to continuously increase Capital Build-Up (CBU). Target payment must be agreed and explain to the members the reasons and use of the CBU. Coop calendar of activities in visual form posted in the coop bulletin board. Make a simple coop bulletin board of information.

Design and Development of Information System for Tractor Distribution in Maros Regency

One of the major issues in agricultural machinery aids program from the central government is the difficulty to access information regarding distribution of the machines. Therefore, it is important to design and develop an application that provides the information about location of the four wheels and two wheels tractors distributed by the local, provincial, and central government in Maros Regency. The aim of this study was to develop a Geographical Information System that can be used to locate and map the agricultural machinery distribution. So far the data collection process is still done manually. This system need to be replaced with a system that makes it easier and efficient to map the distribution of hand tractors and four-wheel tractors. The tools used in developing the GIS application were Android Studio software and Google Maps API. The system developed can be easily maintained and data can be updated in real-time by an administrator and accessed by anyone through a login procedure.