The Last ( first ) Mile Problem The Norwegian Farmers Market Connection
Agriculture and transport The transport and connectivity problems for farms 60-70 years ago in developed countries are similar to todays problems in many roadless agricultural areas in developing countries. The crucial problem for the farmer is the ability to reach the market with his crop If he does, he will enter the market economy if he does not he will remain a subsistence farmer. Some figures for African farming claim that 50 % of the crop is sold at the local market. In principle, agriculture needs transport only twice per crop - that is crop to market and implements back to the farm. The costs for road building and maintenance can not be justified by transport of low value crop alone. If the development of agricultural output increases substantially, the economy of the road building and maintenance might change.
Agriculture and basic transport Basic transport needs: Only two times per crop. OUT : Crop to market IN : Implements to farm
Services needed : Transport from farm / village to market without building roads. Agricultural work like tilling etc Disaster preparedness Healthcare, obstructed childbirth, accidents Multifunctional Platform The World Bank, UNDP Electricity, grinding grain, pumping water etc Appropriate Technology
Requirements for vehicle Lightweight low fuel consumption High payload / low vehicle weight Simple Equal weight on driven wheels- good traction Same technology for developed- and underdeveloped countries
The GT (Getting There) Concept for Roadless Areas in Developing Countries Local produced oil (PPO) as fuel For Transport For Agricultural Work For Stationary Power Supply (Multifunctional Platform) Mechanical and Electric Power For Emergencies (Health or Food Relief) Roadless distribution. Can be equipped with Single Tires, Twins or Individual Belts Electric-hybrid version under construction.
3 GT for Mosambik
Handover in Maputo of 3 mechanical units. Also 2 units for WB Senegal.
El-hybrid GT-8. Payload: 8 tons Vehicle weight: 4 tons Remote control by Bluetooth up to 200m Designed as a forwarder for forestry.
4 x 4 El-hybrid GT-4 Vehicle weight: 2.2 tons Payload: 4 tons Designed in cooperation with Ministry of Transport and Communication, Mozambique
8 m 2 Solar Panel
Alternative power 1 Small diesel engine with 80 V generator for battery charging
Alternative power 2 6 KW 220 V genset for onboard charging for vehicle batterypack and 220 V external current supply. To be combined with i.e solar power or windmill.
2 V diesel with 20 kw generator
Animal driven agriculture 20 % of acerage for fodder Same for: USA, Denmark, Poland,Norway The State of Food and Agriculture FAO 2008
Fuel Consumption for Modern Mechanized Agriculture 100 liters/ha ca. 10 % of acerage to meet energy need by Pure Plant Oil (PPO) www.folkesenter.dk/plant-oil
Yield per Hectar of Fuel for Diesel Engines liters oil/ha Soya 446 Sun Flower 952 Rape Seed 1190 Jatropha Curcas 1892 Coconut 2689 Palm Oil 5950 www.journeytoforever.org
Jatropha Curcas: PPO well suited for converted Diesel engines Sturdy Tropical Plant Can do with rainfall down to 300 mm/year. Resistant to insects Can use areas not suited for food production Bush with long productive life (40-50 years). CO binding like forest. Little need for soil cultivation - intercropping is possible Well suited for manual harvesting and local production.
Energy Needed to Produce 1000 Mega Joule (MJ): See von Damme, Gehnt University
Work done in transport measured in Ton x Km Consider following example: 4 tons payload to be transported 1 km and empty return. By agricultural tractor (5 tons) and trailer (1 ton) : (5 + 1 + 4) x 1 + (5+1) x 1 = 16 tonkm By GT (Getting There) ( 2 + 4 )x 1 + 2 x 1 = 8 tonkm TonKm is proportional to fuel used El-Hybrid for transport : 30 % less
Stability better than 45 degrees empty
More Information : www.greentrac.org YouTube : El-Forest GT8 www.thordab.se see Projects / Film www.el-forest.se/products/gt8 Svein Olaf Lie, b.mesdv@gmail.com + 47-934 45 119
Further studies www.thordab.se/projekt/filmklipp www.elforest.se www.volvoce/concept vehicles Gryphin, Sfinx, Centaur, Fenix www.menzimuck.com NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory Robot of the Week www.unusuallocomotion.com Curiosity