AGRICULTURAL MECHANISATION and labour organisation

Academic Year 2024/2025 - Teacher: SABINA IOLE GIUSEPPINA FAILLA

Expected Learning Outcomes

Ability to:

- set up and/or correctly evaluate the organization of the work of machine yards;

- proceed to mechanization of farms, entire districts or innovative crops for the area;

- design machinery fleets in relation to farm objectives, agronomic constraints and the socio-economic context;

- take into account and mutually organize the environmental, technological, economic and human factors that contribute to the achievement of the goals;

- operate with respect for natural and environmental resources and according to criteria of ergonomics and operator safety;

- recognize the aspirations of individuals and groups and employ them to improve the organization of work.

Course Structure

Lectures, with presentations of case studies, technical examination, drafting of technical papers.

If teaching is given in a mixed formula or remotely, necessary changes may be introduced to what was previously stated in order to comply with the provided and reported Syllabus.

As a guarantee of equal opportunities and in compliance with current laws, interested students can ask for a personal interview in order to plan any compensatory and/or dispensatory measures, based on their speciﬁc needs and on teaching objectives of the discipline.

It is also possible to ask the departmental contacts of CInAP (Center for Active and Participatory Integration - Services for Disabilities and/or DSAs)

Learning assessment may also be carried out on line, should the conditions require it.

Required Prerequisites

Agricultural Mechanics and the prerequisite skills for Agricultural Mechanics - Financial Mathematics

Attendance of Lessons

The discipline is evolving and positively affected by ongoing research; consequently, however supported by texts and the lecturer's handout, it requires assiduous attendance, especially with a view to writing the ﬁnal paper that will be discussed in the exam.

Detailed Course Content

The Course addresses the issues of work organization and site selection in relation to an analysis of the operating environment. Subsequently, aspects of costing machine yards are addressed in depth. With the writing of a paper, the design of a machine park or the verification of an existing machine park is addressed. Group management, idea formation and motivation complete the course.

Textbook Information

1 - Professor’s hand out and power point (in function of the managed topics)

2 - Lazzari e Mazzetto – Meccanica e Meccanizzazione – Ed. Reda Class Notes

Course Planning

	Subjects	Text References
1	Definitions - Mechanization and business structures	Lazzari e Mazzetto – Meccanica e Meccanizzazione – Ed. Reda-Lecturer's teaching materials
2	Composition of the fleet of Mediterranean crops in relation to the needs of the crop and the agricultural, social and infrastructural context	Lazzari e Mazzetto – Meccanica e Meccanizzazione – Ed. Reda-Lecturer's teaching materials
3	Machines that release eco-sensitive materials: delivery times and surfaces served	Lecturer's teaching materials
4	The work and its elementary phases: survey, time analysis	Lecturer's teaching materials
5	Evaluation of work organization	Lazzari e Mazzetto – Meccanica e Meccanizzazione – Ed. Reda-Lecturer's teaching materials
6	Work capacity of agricultural machinery in continuous and discontinuous machine sites - queues of machines	Lazzari e Mazzetto – Meccanica e Meccanizzazione – Ed. Reda-Lecturer's teaching materials
7	Farm or district machinery fleet; project parameters: useful and available periods - productivity, manageable surfaces, working width	Lazzari e Mazzetto – Meccanica e Meccanizzazione – Ed. Reda-Lecturer's teaching materials
8	Mutual sizing of tractors and operating machines	Lazzari e Mazzetto – Meccanica e Meccanizzazione – Ed. Reda-Lecturer's teaching materials
9	Value, residual value and depreciation of machines	Lazzari e Mazzetto – Meccanica e Meccanizzazione – Ed. Reda-Lecturer's teaching materials
10	Depreciation, provisions and reintegrations in company management and for the new establishment, renewal, conservation of the fleet	Lecturer's teaching materials
11	Financing and calculation of internal or company financing for the purchase or renewal of the fleet	Lecturer's teaching materials
12	Outline for drafting the project	Lecturer's teaching materials
13	Operating costs per hour and per unit of product	Lecturer's teaching materials
14	Comparison between the costs of different construction sites and the threshold of convenience	Lecturer's teaching materials
15	Organization of work meetings and motivational aspects	Lecturer's teaching materials
16	Elements of ergonomics and safety of agricultural machinery	Lecturer's teaching materials

Learning Assessment

Learning Assessment Procedures

Final oral exam. It includes the discussion of a paper drawn up by the Student on the design of a machine park or the verification of an existing machine park, drawn up according to guidelines discussed in class and published in the didactic material. The paper is drawn up in collaboration with the teacher and colleagues who participate in the pre-set reception meetings and must be sent to the teacher no less than 4 days from the exam date.

The evaluation of the oral interview is based on the relevance, correctness, comprehensibility of the answers, on the ability to make connections between the topics of the program and to report examples consistent with the topic under discussion, on the quality of the contents, on the properties of the technical language .

Verification of learning can also be carried out electronically, should the conditions require it.

Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises

Elementary phases of work and work capacity of construction sites

Covered areas and working times in machinery sites with release of materials Evaluation parameters of sites and of the machinery fleet

Calculation of the farm - financing quota for the purchase of machinery and equipment Annual and hourly costs, formulas and graphs

Organization of work groups and motivational aspects

Degree Course in

Agricultural Science and Technology