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| Agriculture Mechanization | | | Dr. Parveen Kumar, Dr. Anil Kumar | 12/7/2016 12:25:53 AM |
| World population is on the rise and is expected to reach about 9 billion by the year 2050. Agricultural sector will have to face significant challenges to obtain the level of agricultural productivity necessary to meet the predicted world demand for 3Fs (Food, Fibre and Fuel). This requires raising more crops in a year thus limiting the turnaround time. To increase production it would require more use of agricultural inputs with proper timeliness and appropriateness in their use. Among other things, it also calls for greater engineering inputs which require development and introduction of high capacity, precision, reliable and energy efficient equipment. The Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2011 also predicts that the agricultural output will have to be doubled by 2050. This will require increasing Total Factor Productivity (TFP) from the current level of 1.4 for agricultural production systems to a consistent level of 1.75 or higher. To reach that goal, significant achievements in all the factors that impact TFP is needed. Mechanization is one factor that had and has a significant effect on TFP.
Agricultural mechanization helps in increasing production, productivity and profitability in agriculture by achieving timeliness in farm operations, bringing precision in metering and placement of inputs, reducing available input losses, increasing utilization efficiency of costly inputs (seed, chemical, fertilizer, irrigation, water etc.), reducing unit cost of produce, enhancing profitability and competitiveness in the cost of operation. It also helps in the conservation of the produce and byproducts from qualitative and quantitative damages; enables value addition and establishment of agro processing enterprises for additional income and employment generation from farm produce. It is one of the important inputs to usher in all round development in the rural India. The average farm power availability also needs to be increased from the current 1.15 kW/ha to at least 2 kW/ha to assure timeliness and quality in field operations, undertake heavy field operations like sub soiling, chiseling, deep ploughing, summer ploughing, handling agricultural produce and byproducts efficiently, process them for value addition, income and employment generation. All these works in agricultural operations is possible to be attended only when adequate agricultural mechanization infrastructure is created.
The efficiency of mechanization can be judged from the fact that modern plough is about 200 to 300 % efficient than indigenous plough. It has been reported that efficient farm machinery helps in increasing productivity by about 30% besides, enabling the farmers to raise a second crop or taking multi crop cuts. This in turn can play a part in transforming the Indian agriculture from subsistence to commercial. Rural livelihoods in many parts of country are still under considerable strain and the economy and environment in many parts of the country is not in a good position. Agriculture forms the core of rural livelihoods having a major influence on livelihood outcomes. Farm machinery thus is a crucial input in the agricultural production process. Shortage of farm machinery compromises the ability of farms and families achieve the desired output. A study titled, 'Contribution of farm power to smallholder livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa' has revealed how farm-power availability is not simply a matter of promoting a certain technology or equipment. It shows that all aspects of the livelihoods of a rural household are connected to and affected by the available farm-power base. Mechanized harvesting, for example, was a key factor in increasing cotton production in the last century. In the future, mechanization will also have to contribute to better management of inputs, which will be critical to increasing Total Factor Productivity.
Earlier, it was considered that mechanization creates unemployment. The myth has been broken and it has been observed that, agricultural mechanization besides increasing production and productivity also generates income and employment opportunities. Several studies conducted in different parts of India have shown that mechanization has helped in increasing production, productivity, generation of income and employment.
The use of machines like tractor and bulldozers can enable the farmers to bring more and more area under cultivation. Even a good considerable amount of uncultivable land can be brought under cultivation. It can also help to bring more area under irrigation. The digging of tube wells and water harvesting structures like farm pounds and water sheds can help in assured supply of irrigation water in otherwise unirrigated areas. The use of farm machinery also decreases the cost of production thereby resulting in the increase in income of the farmers. Also the quality of production is improved. The time saved by the use of machinery can be utilized for other purpose. The use of machinery increases the efficiency of the worker and raises the output per worker. Farm mechanization can also solve various other problems like silting, water logging and fear of death of draught animals due to over burden of work load. There are however some limitations of the farm mechanization. It is a generally perception that farm mechanization will create unemployment. But it is far from truth. Studies have revealed and it has been observed that agricultural mechanization besides increasing production and productivity also generates income and employment opportunities. Let us take the case of Punjab considered a highly mechanized state. It employs 7.0 lakh laborers from adjoining states, out of which 3.5 lakh are employed on a regular basis and remaining during the main cropping season. For small holder farmers, it proves to be costly. Small holder farmers can form cooperative type associations and can go for joint purchase of machinery
Most of countries are now also providing loans on low rate of interest to the farmers. In countries where labour is cheaply available farm machinery increases the cost of production. In the underdeveloped countries majority of farmers are uneducated and they cannot handle the machines. So misuse of machinery can also cause a great loss to the farmer.
In most of developing countries maintenance and repairing facilities are not available in the rural areas. The breakdown of the machinery can also cause a delay in agricultural operations at critical stages. However these are short term and temporary in nature and can be overcome with proper management. Keeping in view the above facts we conclude that farm mechanization increases the agriculture productivity. It increases the income, saving and investment of the farmers. In the other word we can say that farm mechanization is very useful for the development of agriculture sector.
Now in the today’s modern world every country has also realized importance of farm mechanization and has encouraged the import of machinery. For holistic development of agriculture a proper Agricultural Mechanization Strategy (AMS) is needed. We need to create a policy, an institutional and market environment in which farmers and other end-users have the choice of farm power and equipment suited to their needs within a sustainable delivery and support system.
The strategy should also cover importation and domestic manufacture of tools, equipment and machinery, their repair and maintenance, relevant training and extension programs, improvement of draft animal health services and breeding program, and promotion of financing systems for the purchase of draft animals and machinery. |
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