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ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Abstract

Rice production in South and Southeast Asia faces serious challenges, including acute labor shortages and rising wages, which threaten regional food security. Mechanical rice transplanting offers a promising solution; however, evidence on labor savings, especially region-specific data, remains inconsistent. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to quantify labor savings from mechanical versus manual transplanting across Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and the Philippines.

Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic search was conducted across four major scientific databases (2000–2026) using Boolean search terms for mechanical transplanting and labor outcomes. Of 284 initial records, 52 met eligibility criteria, and 40 provided sufficient data for a random-effects meta-analysis. The Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation (SYRCLE) risk-of-bias tool and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach were used for bias assessment and evidence-certainty evaluation, respectively.

Results showed that mechanical transplanting reduced labor needs by 30–94% compared with manual methods. The pooled mean difference was −17.2 man-days·ha−1 (95% CI: −20.1 to −14.3; I2 = 68%; p < 0.001), with GRADE certainty rated as moderate.

In conclusion, mechanical rice transplanting consistently reduced labor requirements across all four countries, with additional yield benefits, though adoption remained constrained by high capital costs and mat-type nursery requirements. These findings support mechanization as a key strategy to improve labor efficiency and food security in South and Southeast Asian rice systems.

Keywords

rice transplanter; labor efficiency; agricultural mechanization; Oryza sativa L.; systematic review

Publication Date

2026

Received Date

13 Apr 2026

Revised Date

27 May 2026

Accepted Date

20 June 2026

Additional Files
AJSTD_1662_APpendix.docx (23 kB)
AJSTD_1662_Proof_Reviewed.pdf.pdf (2327 kB)
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