The Vice-Chancellor University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), Dr. Muhammad Ashraf says that mechanization is key to achieve maximum agricultural potential as well as a better future for farmers.
Mechanization is bringing a revolution in the output of agriculture. Dr. Ashraf says in meeting to agricultural engineers at the faculty of agriculture engineering.
Dean Agriculture Engineering Dr. Allah Bukhsh, Director Water Management Dr. Muhammad Arshad, Chairman Energy System Engineering Dr. Anjum Munir, Chairman Farm Machinery Dr. Muhammad Azam, Dr. Abdul Ghafoor, and others attended the meeting.
Dr. Muhammad Ashraf directed the engineers to devise low-cost farm machinery, saying traditional farming needed to be replaced by modern technologies in order to achieve high yields and a better future.
He said that 90 percent of the farming communities comprised small farmers who needed affordable, efficient machinery.
In modern times, powered machinery has replaced many farm jobs formerly carried out by manual labor or by working animals such as oxen, horses, and mules.
The entire history of agriculture contains many examples of the use of tools, such as the hoe and the plough. The ongoing integration of machines since the Industrial Revolution, however, has allowed farming to become much less labor-intensive.
Current mechanized agriculture includes the use of tractors, trucks, combine harvesters, countless types of farm implements, airplanes and helicopters (for aerial application), and other vehicles. Precision agriculture even uses computers in conjunction with satellite imagery and satellite navigation (GPS guidance) to increase yields.
Mechanization is a crucial input for agricultural crop production and one that historically has been neglected in the context of developing countries.
Applying new technologies that are environmentally friendly enables farmers to produce crops more efficiently by using less power.