Young minds can truly propel the agriculture industry to greater heights. An Iskolar ng Bayan is set to elevate farming for a higher purpose.
Rosette Juego Sabiniano, a graduate of mechanical engineering, invented the “Mechanical Corn Planter”—a manually operated device that makes corn-planting efficient and convenient.
Sabiniano grew up in a family of farmers. The 21-year-old spent most of her childhood days with his Tatang (grandfather in Ilocano), in the vast farm fields in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija—dubbed as the “Home of High Grade Rice” and center of progressive agro-trade industry. She was inspired by him to use her innovative ideas and engineering skills to share to local farmers.
“When I was young, I was always having a conversation with my Tatang about how I’m going to invent someday an agricultural equipment that will help him in the farm,” Sabiniano says.
“So, when I had the chance to do that, I did, with a greater purpose of not just helping my Tatang, but all the farmers in my beloved country,” she adds.
The Mechanical Corn Planter follows three basic steps of corn planting—furrowing, seed dropping and seed covering.
In the traditional way, a farmer uses a furrowing tool that is pulled by a carabao to create rows on the ground. He will drop the seeds on the rows and cover them with soil using his feet.
The Mechanical Corn Planter is an all-in-one device, all three steps will be done with ease.
First, to achieve the desired depth in the soil, the farmer has to push the handle downward, creating rows. Second, to drop the seeds in the desired distance within the rows, the handle must be pulled creating a rotation of the wheels and the seed containers. Lastly, the counterpart of the furrower functions to cover the seeds with soil.
Sabiniano dedicates her invention to the local farmers. New and advanced agricultural equipment are being produced in the country, but not within the reach of our local farmers, she says.
“They can’t even own land, how can they buy agricultural equipment priced at P350,000 (pneumatic corn planter) or P1.2 million (palay harvester)?” the young inventor says.
“We produce large agricultural equipment in the country, but are these what we need? Think about it,” she adds. “This is the problem in the Philippines, not just in the agriculture industry but in many sectors. We cater to the needs of the few—not the masses.”
Starting her invention as the subject of her undergarduate thesis, Sabiniano pushed through the development of the device in just a month and a half.
At first, she had a hard time when she presented her concept to the academe and with the process of inventing. But, with the help of her family, trusted mechanics and few local farmers, the device was perfected.
“I remembered my sociology professor saying, ‘You think you are educated? No! The masses are actually more educated than us, because they can see and they know what’s happening out there. You, on the other hand, dwell on theories but don’t put it in practice,’” she says.
The young inventor designed her machine simply, such that poor farmers can use it easily and also fabricate their own equipment. In case of a malfunction, the device can be disassembled and the problematic part can be replaced with ease.
The Mechanical Corn Planter makes planting easier and 14 times faster for farmers than the conventional way. The device won second place in the UP College of Engineering Undergraduate Project Competition 2016.
Currently, Sabiniano is working to get a patent for her device. If given the chance, she is also willing to share her invention with the government and, together, help improve the agriculture industry.
“Success is when I already see smiles on the eyes of the poor farmers that I am planning to help with this project,” she says. “My equipment is nonsense without attaining my main goal.”