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1. Human labor
2. Draft animals
3. Solar
4. Wind
5. Flowing water
Mechanical
ABE 41 Agricultural and Biosystems Power Engineering 6. Heat engines
power
7. Electric motor

Still considered the major sources of power in

the farm because of:

Size of farm
Topography
Crops grown
High cost of equipment
High cost and non-availability of fuel
Oldest sources of power in the farm Availability of low cost labor

Consumes energy at a
sustainable rate of only
about 250 W (0.0335 hp)
About 25% conversion for
light work and 5% conversion
for heavy work
Average, healthy person Hence, only around 63 W
(in tropical climates) (0.0845 hp) of power output
Poor source of power is sustained for an 8 to 10
hour-work day.

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OUTPUT
TASK/TECHNOLOGY
Naturally, higher rates can Land preparation
HP MAN-DAYS/HA

be maintained for shorter Plowing with carabao

Plowing with hand tractor
0.06
0.05
5.80
1.69
periods. Harrowing with carabao
Harrowing with hand tractor
0.05
0.08
2.05
0.51
Planting
For approximation of Hand transplanting (dapog)
Broadcasting
0.08
0.11
12.84
0.39
power available in a Mechanical (IRRI drum seeder)
Weeding
0.20 0.53

household, the following Hand

Push-type rotary
0.10
0.10
9.75
3.72
Average, healthy person may be used: women = 75% Power
Herbicide broadcasting
0.14
0.12
1.48
0.19
(in tropical climates) of men; and child = 50% of Harvesting
Cutting with sickle 0.07 8.84

men. Hauling and piling

Threshing
0.08 5.80

Table thresher 0.05 3.70

Frame thresher (hampasan) 0.07 3.93

9.56 million hectares of agricultural land

12.04 million people in agriculture
75% male; 25% female
Human power contribution = 0.126 hp/ha
Source: BAS, 2011

Adopts a working mode that incorporates

appropriate rest period
Makes instantaneous decisions as to how much
force to exert to accomplish a task, thereby
conserving energy Man is best suited to farm operations
Chooses the appropriate tools for a given requiring judgment rather than just manual
production unit operation labor
Changes from one task to another readily and
rationally, exhibiting a versatility that no other
power source is capable of

2

Harnessed for tractive force in pulling a certain
implement or machine
Water Buffalo (kalabaw, Bubalus bubalis)
Horse (kabayo, Equus caballus)
Cow (baka, Bos taurus / Bos indicus)
Other animals – Oxen, Camel, Llamas
Cannot work continuously
Subject to weather conditions
Maybe temperamental
May become unwieldy when used in large
teams
Not suited for stationary work
Carabaos are confined mostly to pulling
operations such as plowing, harrowing,
cultivating and transport.
There are about 3.075M carabaos in the
Philippines (BAS, Jan 2011) and about 70% to
75% is used for draft work.
The contribution of animal power in the farm
is about 0.225 hp/ha.
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Animals can be grouped into different size
units
Have high temporary overload capacity
Use fuel produced in the farm
Return fertilizer to the soil
In the Philippines, the CARABAO is the major beast of
burden.
It can generate 1 hp walking continuously under
favorable conditions.
Low initial cost
Easy to maintain
Rarely bogs down in mud
Can work closer to the levees
Mobile in most terrain conditions
If female, is capable of reproduction
Source of milk, meat, leather and fertilizer
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Low work output

Performance of carabao and cattle under varying pulling loads
Draft (kg) Speed (kph) hp
Prone to disability by disease, poisoning, lost
Load
(kg) Carabao Cattle Carabao Cattle Carabao Cattle
by rustling and death
50 24 20 4.0 4.4 0.42 0.32 Requires daily attention such as feeding and
100 55 40 4.6 4.0 0.92 0.58
pasturing
150 75 62 4.3 3.6 1.18 0.82
200 101 88 4.3 3.2 1.58 1.03 Under poor management practices, causes
250 146 118 3.9 2.4 2.08 1.03 unsanitary conditions
300 The test draft animals could not pull the load of 300 kg and beyond.

Can make a maximum sustained pull of 10- Environmental factors that define the
15% of its weight for about 2 - 3 hours per day working condition for the draft animal.
at a normal speed of 0.6 - 0.8 m/sec Choice of animals (breed, species, sex,
Can develop an output of 0.7-1.3 horsepower temperament)

500 kg Carabao  75 kg draft at 0.7 m/s  Use of the animals- harnessing system.
515 W (~0.7 hp) Livestock management (feeding, training,
care, watering)

Crop and grain drying Electric motor

Internal combustion engine (ICE)
Solar thermal conversions
External combustion engine (ECE)
Photovoltaics
Water wheel
Wind mill

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Power developed depends on two factors:

1. Volume of water flowing per unit time
2. Head or vertical distance of water drops at
Two types of water movement to generate
a point where power installation is located
power:
1. Falling/flowing of streams of water
through force or gravity
2. Rise and fall of tides through lunar/solar
gravity

Used for pumping water Limited for farm use (cannot be controlled and
Used for running small electric generating seldom available when needed)
plants Generally used for water pumping
maximum energy or power recovered from
the wind (kinetic energy of motion) = 59.3%
(Bets, Munk and Hoff)

Device used to convert electrical energy into

Highly efficient device for converting heat
mechanical energy
energy of fuel into mechanical energy
More efficient than ICEs
Energy conversion
Power unit
efficiency (%)
Electric motor 50 – 90
Gasoline engine 25 – 30
Diesel engine 30 – 36

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Relatively simple and compact in

construction
Light in weight per hp
Require little attention and limited care and
servicing
Produce a smooth, uniform power
Adaptable to uniform or variable loads