0-1 integer programming algorithm for optimal selection of mutually exclusive machinery sets

This study presents a model, suitable for use in developing countries, for analyzing the economic benefits of various mechanization options from the farmer"s perspective. The Integer Programming (IP) algorithms and computer hardware typically used to evaluate machinery investments within a whole-farm framework are rarely available in developing countries. In this article, the machinery selection problem is reformulated as a 0-1 IP model with mutually exclusive integer variables, and a solution procedure which uses the more readily available linear programming (LP) algorithm is developed. This permits elimination of many of the potential machinery sets without solving the related LP"s. Application of the procedure to a machinery selection problem for a typical small, irrigated rice farm in Nueva Ecija, Philippines, demonstrates its efficiency.