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Công ty TNHH Máy Sấy Nông Lâm
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Drying Research and Extension
at the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology,
and the Center for Agricultural Energy and Machinery
of the Nong-Lam University HoChiMinh City
(formerly: University of Agriculture and Forestry)
A Sketch of 20-year Evolution #
Phan Hieu Hien # #
# # Director, Center for Agricultural Energy and Machinery; and Lecturer, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Nong-Lam University HoChiMinh City, Vietnam. E-mail phhien@hcm.vnn.vn
# Paper for presentation at the Seminar on “Agricultural Engineering and Agro-products Processing towards Mechanization and Modernization in Rural Areas“ at Nong-Lam University, HoChiMinh City, 11-12 December 2003.
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Introduction
From 1981, the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology (FAET) of the University of Agriculture and Forestry (UAF-HCM) have been engaged in activities related to research and extension or transfer of technologies, among which is the outstanding area of drying machinery. The basic principle has been: The research should serve the production sector, including farmers and processors.
In January 2001, the Center for Agricultural Energy and Machinery (CAEM) was established, with the mandate of research and development to serve the production in three areas: (a) Energy in agriculture, with focus on renewable energy; (b) Agricultural machinery for field and farmstead production; and (c) Agricultural and food processing machinery. The Center continues the FAET tradition of serving the production sector in a full-fledged pattern for research, with funding and staff time mainly for research and extension activities.
Research in drying at FAET and CAEM has been diversified with different principles, capacities, and investments. Following are the summary of results in drying research and extension, of which the most successful in terms of technology transfer are discussed in more details.
