Transforming from Hand
Labor to Mechanical
Harvesting
A change of concept
1945
Over 100 years ago man have
transformed from hand labor to
mechanical harvesting in
Agriculture.
Xinjiang,
China
With that change, man had to face
new issues like:
• Size of fields
• Loss of yield in the field
• Waste in the plant
Combination of mechanical
harvesting and hand labor
US
Each transition, like in Cotton and
Tomatoes, was accompanied by great
waste which agrarians had to learn to
accept as part of the change.
Mechanical Tomato Harvesting
Israel
Cotton Harvesting
Israel
It is clear today that no farmer would go
back even if wastage was to be decreased.
Bottom line, from my own personal
experience, mechanical harvest gives
more crops, although it seems as if there
is more wastage in the fields.
Mechanical Harvest
China
The advantages of mechanical harvesting are:
• Continuous harvesting with lesser limitations–
some crops can be harvested 24/7
• Equal results between mechanical and hand
labor harvest as far as damages to the crops
and dirt.
• Hygienic work without human touch.
• High capacity
Bell Pepper
Mechanical Harvesting
Portugal
In the last 30 years many have tried to
mechanize Peppers' harvesting.
The solutions reached were partial and
limited to a small variety of Pepper kinds.
Stripping the fruit without
causing any damage to the
fruit or plant enables second
Harvest
The challenge is:
• Develop a mechanized harvesting solution that
equals to hand labor quality
• High capacity
• Adapt the plants machinery
There should be synergy between the Variety Research & Growing to
development of the harvesters:
• Harvest, sort, filed preparation, irrigation system, containers, arrive
in the plant, cleaning the crop in the plant.
• The demand for mechanized solutions is growing even in the
developing countries.
Around the globe, labor becomes more expensive, as lesser people
want to work in agriculture, while the demand for the products
grows.
Reducing Aflatoxin – Mechanical
picking/harvest eliminates the need of hand
touching the fruit and keeping it exposed
on the ground which leads to Aflatoxin.
We need to look into the future and
think about Food Security and how
are we going to feed the world in 20
years, considering the rise in labor
coast, the rise in oil prices and
Global weather change.
One-time of sweet paprika
dried harvest on the plant.
On the ground is fruit that
fell from the wind.
Israel
Thank you!
Elad Etgar
+972 505 245 925
elad@eladetgar.com