Mechanization for Rural Development: A Review of Patterns and Progress from Around the World

Mechanization for Rural Development: A Review of Patterns and Progress from Around the World
ISBN-10
9251076057
ISBN-13
9789251076057
Pages
336
Language
English
Published
2013
Publisher
Plant Production and Protection Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Authors
B. G. Sims, Josef Kienzle, John E. Ashburner

Description

This publication gives a wide-ranging perspective on the present state of mechanization in the developing world, and, as such, constitutes a solid platform on which to build strategies for a sustainable future. Farm mechanization forms an integral plank in the implementation of sustainable crop production intensification methodologies and sustainable intensification necessarily means that the protection of natural resources and the production of ecosystem services go hand-in-hand with intensified production practices. This requires specific mechanization measures to allow crops to be established with minimum soil disturbance, to allow the soil to be protected under organic cover for as long as possible, and to establish crop rotations and associations to feed the soil and to exploit crop nutrients from various soil horizons. This work is the starting point to help the reader understand the complexities and requirements of the task ahead.