Design and fabrication of an engine powered hand pushed sorghum harvester for small scale farmers

Abstract

In Uganda, Sorghum is the third most important cereal crop after maize and rice (Andiku et al., 2021). In Uganda, 398,050 acres are used for sorghum farming, with a total yearly production of 314,553 tons. Uganda now ranks fourth in East Africa for sorghum production, behind South Sudan, Tanzania, and Ethiopia (Andiku et al., 2021). Farm-saved sorghum seed is typically used by farmers in the nation. While some farmers intercrop finger millets, maize, cowpeas, and common beans, the crop is mostly produced as a pure stand. In Uganda, sorghum grain is refined and used to make porridge and local bread, especially for women and young children living in rural areas. In urban areas of the country, it can be made into a wide range of other foods including breads, alcoholic and lactic drinks, and weaning meals. In the 10,000 years since agriculture was first developed, agricultural innovation has been essential to global economic growth. It has raised farm productivity, improved the incomes of poor farmers, increased consumer access to cheap and abundant food, and lessened the strain on natural resource stocks. It is well known that sorghum is categorized into the following classes based on the orientation of use: 1. Grain sorghum: small, readily hulled grain with easy tillering. The grain is utilized in the production of starch and alcohol, as well as for food and fodder. 2. Sugar sorghum: erect and quite dense. It is utilized to make sweet syrup and silage. 3. The thin, non-coarse stems of herbaceous sorghum, also known as Sudanese grass, feature a significant tillering. It is used to obtain hay and green fodder. 4. The heads of broom sorghum are approximately half a meter long and stretchy. They go into making brooms and brushes. The leafy mass can also be utilized as feed when young (Science, 2021).