Appropriate Scale of Mechanization and Automation for Agriculture in Southeast Asia

The agricultural industry is critical in Southeast Asian countries. Agricultural mechanization scales vary across the region, depending on farm size and agricultural sector. The small scale gained appeal in Southeast Asia due to increased productivity, less labor usage, and the ability to adapt technology. The Level of Automation is also described in this book chapter. There are five levels of agricultural machinery, and their application in agricultural practices is discussed in this book chapter. The higher level of automation increases the more advanced agricultural machinery technology and less labor-dependent. In Southeast Asia, most countries develop the automation level into three to four stages, which are Conditional Automation and High Automation, and will continue to develop into the fifth stage, which is Full Automation. Automation systems in agricultural machinery are still being developed in various Southeast Asian countries, with the potential to be demonstrated in the future.