Design and Evaluation of a Low-Cost Onion Harvesting Tool for Smallholder Farmers in Kebbi State

This study involves the design, fabrication, and field evaluation of a low-cost manual onion harvesting undercutter for smallholder irrigated farmers in Kebbi State, North West Nigeria. Onion is one of Kebbi State's most important commercial crops, producing large quantities along the Kebbi River valley during the dry season. Harvesting with traditional hoes is slow, causes significant bulb damage, and is labour-intensive during peak demand periods. This study designs a specialised undercutter using locally available mild steel flat bar with adjustable blade angle mechanism, designed for single-operator use to sever root systems without lifting and bruising bulbs. Field evaluation tests are conducted at Argungu and Jega onion farms over two harvest periods. Performance parameters measured include harvesting efficiency, bulb damage rate, harvesting capacity per hour, and operator energy expenditure compared against traditional hoe harvesting. Findings reveal that the designed undercutter achieves bulb damage rates of 3.8 percent compared to 12.4 percent for hoe harvesting, with throughput improvement of 68 percent per operator per hour. Operator fatigue assessment shows significantly lower energy expenditure per kilogram harvested compared to hand pulling. Material cost for the fabricated tool is estimated at 8,500 naira, making it affordable for individual smallholder purchase. The study concludes that the designed onion harvesting tool significantly reduces bulb damage and improves harvesting efficiency for Kebbi State smallholder farmers. It recommends village-level fabricator training and distribution through farmer cooperative societies.

Keywords: onion harvesting, tool design, Kebbi State, bulb damage, smallholder farmers.