There is a long history of agricultural mechanization that has been human and animal powered rather than engine powered. The difference in scale is quite staggering and is a measure of the economic gulf between the rich and the poor on this planet. For example, an average horse plowing the soil at an average rate will perform work at a rate of one horsepower (hp). In contrast, a 100 hp (75 kW) tractor could work (e.g. plowing the soil) at a rate one hundred times faster than the horse.
By common consent, diesel oil (used to power the compression ignition engines, so dominant in agriculture) is a nonrenewable resource. Attempts to find or identify a diesel fuel substitute that could be used in conventional diesel engines have made some progress. In particular, the use of oils from renewable oilseeds has enjoyed some limited success in countries such as Austria, where generous tax remission is allowable on a fuel that is otherwise uneconomic.

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There is a long history of agricultural mechanization that has been human and animal powered rather than engine powered. The difference in scale is quite staggering and is a measure of the economic gulf between the rich and the poor on this planet. For example, an average horse plowing the soil at an average rate will perform work at a rate of one horsepower (hp). In contrast, a 100 hp (75 kW) tractor could work (e.g. plowing the soil) at a rate one hundred times faster than the horse.
By common consent, diesel oil (used to power the compression ignition engines, so dominant in agriculture) is a nonrenewable resource. Attempts to find or identify a diesel fuel substitute that could be used in conventional diesel engines have made some progress. In particular, the use of oils from renewable oilseeds has enjoyed some limited success in countries such as Austria, where generous tax remission is allowable on a fuel that is otherwise uneconomic.

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