Development of Agricultural
Engineering in the Philippines
Arnold R. Elepaño
Program Manager and Associate Professor
Agricultural Mechanization Development Program
Institute of Agricultural Engineering
College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology
University of the Philippines Los Baños
International Seminar on Restructuring and Strengthening Research
and Development for Agricultural Engineering
Beijing, 28 April 2007

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The Philippine Agricultural Industry
• Philippine agriculture plays a vital role in
the economy
• About 25% of gross domestic product
• Seventy percent of population is in the
rural areas. Two-thirds depends on
farming for livelihood
• One-half of labor force is engaged in
agricultural activities

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Agricultural Engineering
• Agricultural engineering encompasses the
science and technology of agricultural
production, processing and management
of natural resources.
• It is a critical component to help meet the
demands of the farmers in increasing their
income, reducing drudgery, increasing
labor productivity, reducing production and
postproduction losses.

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Philippine Agricultural Engineering:
before 1960s
• use of plow, cultivators, corn planter and
big combines
• early technologies from Spain and United
States were technological failures mainly
due to the lack of understanding of the
local conditions and notion that the
imported technologies can be transplanted
into the Philippine agriculture

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Philippine Agricultural Engineering:
1960 - 1980
• use of power tillers, threshers, cleaners
and dryers
• advent of high-yielding, non-photosensitive
rice varieties increased the need for
mechanization
• outbreak of hoof and mouth disease

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Philippine Agricultural Engineering:
1980 - 1990
• Comprehensive land reform program
• Farmers cooperative to engage in
production, processing and marketing of
their produce

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Philippine Agricultural Engineering
today
• reorientation of the R&D program started
from very hardware-focused technology
development to a more information-driven,
demand-responsive and system-based
technology

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Agriculture and Fisheries
Modernization Act
(Republic Act 8435)
• poverty alleviation and social equity
• food security
• rational use of resources
• global competitiveness
• sustainable development
• people empowerment
• protection from competition

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Philippine Agricultural Engineering
Act of 1998 (Republic Act 8559)
• promote and upgrade the practice of
agricultural engineering profession in the
country
• accelerate agricultural modernization
through adequate and well trained
professional agricultural engineers

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R&D Networking
• Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry
and Natural Resources Research and
Development. Agricultural engineering as
a “commodity”.
• Agricultural Machinery Information
Network. It is the information source for
agricultural engineering and
mechanization.

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Document Outline

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