Revisiting the relationship between farm mechanization and labour requirement in India

In many developing and emerging economies, better employment opportunities in the non-farm sector have increased rural wages due to labour shortages during the peak agricultural season. Increasing wages often cause a substitution of labour for mechanical power, but extensive use of labour-saving technologies may cause labour displacement and have serious equity concerns. Using the household and individual fixed effect estimation approach, this paper analyses the relationship between different types of farm machines and labour requirements in India. The results suggest that a unit increase in the level of farm mechanization increases the demand for hired labour by 12%. Moreover, we find that the level of farm mechanization has a positive effect on women’s participation in farm work, while it decreases the probability of children participating in agriculture-related work. Disaggregated analysis based on types of farm machinery suggests that water-lifting equipment, draft power and tractors increase the probability of male household members working on their farms, while all types of farm machines, except tractors, have a positive effect on female farm labour participation. We also find that the effect of farm mechanization on the demand for hired labour decreases as the size of the farm increases.

PRESENT STATUS OF AGRICULTURAL MECHANIZATION: A STUDY ON THREE UPAZILAS OF PANCHAGARH DISTRICT IN BANGLADESH

Nowadays in Bangladesh, farm mechanization is one of the major cause of change in agricultural sector. Due to labor shortage and high wage rate of labor, farmers are compelled to accept farm mechanization. The purpose of the study was to assess the modern agricultural technologies used in Panchagarh district and develop statistical information. The study period was from August 2019 to October 2019. For this study, three places such as Panchagarh Sadar, Boda and Debiganj were selected. Present status was analyzed based on irrigation management system, tillage practices, insect control practices, harvesting and post-harvesting operation, drying and storage facilities for rice production. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the information’s of machinery used in selected places. The study revealed that irrigation, land preparation and crop protection was almost mechanized, but mechanization is still lacking in harvesting operation. There were no transplanter, seed drill and fertilizer applicator found in the study areas used by farmers. Crops were still dried through sun drying storage was done by the traditional storage technologies. It is a fact that mechanization is in progress in these areas but need more extension work with modern machineries. The government should develop proper planning by investigating present status of mechanization and improve the present condition by increasing machinery utilization.

The effect of mechanization on labour employment and cropland expansion in northern Nigeria

The study investigated the effects of mechanized agriculture on farm labour employment and cropland expansion due to the incursion of tractors into the country. Primary data were collected using specially design pretested schedule by interview method and using panel survey data, to analyze the effects of mechanization on labour employment and cropland expansion in northern Nigeria, respectively. A sample of 240 farmers were taken for the study. Tabular, percent and linear regression analysis were done. The study found that labour employment per cropped hectare showed a declining trend with increase in farm group size under different categories of mechanization. The inverse relationship revealed between labour employment and farm size hold true in case of operation like sowing, intercultural operation and irrigation. Hired labour and family labour both had positive and negative relationship, respectively with farm size in each category of mechanized farm. Findings also show a positive correlation between farm mechanization and cropland expansion during the survey period. Two interaction terms were introduced in the model to assess whether there are differential effects of mechanization on cropland expansion across the three districts. The results show that the effect of mechanization on farmland expansion is significantly higher among farmers in Igabi compared to Zaria. This result may be driven by the differences in access to tractors in the districts with Igabi having the highest access, then followed by Zaria.

Status of farm mechanization and its impact on maize production in Jhapa District, Nepal

A survey research was carried out in 2020 in maize zone, Jhapa to identify and analyze the status of farm mechanization and its impact in the maize production. Kankai Municipality and Jhapa Rural municipality were purposively selected for the study as these areas were under the command area of prime minister agriculture modernization project, project implementation unit, maize zone Jhapa. Thereafter, a total of 70 samples were selected using random sampling method. Thirty-three samples were selected from Kankai Municipality and remaining thirty-seven were selected from remaining Jhapa rural municipality. Primary data were collected using semi-structured questionnaire, focal group discussion and key informant interview whereas secondary data were obtained through a review of relevant literature. Both descriptive and analytical statistics were used to analyze the data. It was found that the status of mechanization was still in the initial phase in the study area. Results showed that mechanization was limited to two cultural operations namely tillage and threshing of which only in case of tillage, farm machineries were adopted by more than ninety percent of the respondent farmers while in case of sowing more than ninety percent of respondent didn’t use any modern equipment. Insect and pest in maize field was major problem faced by the farmers. Therefore, productivity of maize in Kankai area was higher as compared to Jhapa area as adoption of mechanization was higher in Kankai area.

Legume-Maize Intercropping System: An Alternative Pathway for Sustainable Agriculture

Intercropping provides ample scope to include two or more crops simultaneously in same piece of land thus targeting higher productivity from unit area on sustainable basis. Maize, a cereal crop of immense importance, planted in wide rows offers the possibility for adoption of intercropping. The intercropping system with maize and legume is beneficial in multiple aspects. The success of maize-legume intercropping system largely depends on choice of crops and their maturity, density, and time of planting. Advantage of maize-legume intercropping system is promoted in the form of higher yield and greater utilization of available resources, benefits in weeds control [1,2], pests and disease management [3], fixation of biological nitrogen by legumes and transfer of N to associated maize [4,5], insurance against crop failure to small holders, and control of erosion by covering a large extent of ground area [6]. Though maize-legume intercropping system exhibits limitations like less scope of farm mechanization, dependence on more human workforce, and chance of achieving less productivity from maize, the system implies more advantages for small holders in developing countries where human workforce is not a constraint.

Penetration of farm mechanization services through FPOs: rural dynamics-based business modelling

Farm mechanisation although one among the essential input to raise the agriculture productivity, but individual owning of agricultural machinery by resource constrained small and marginal farmers who constitute around 85% of operated land holdings in India is uneconomical. Hence, innovative arrangements such as custom hiring centres’ (CHCs) are being encouraged through farm aggregation models like cooperative farming, Joint Liability Groups (JLG), Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) to get access to farm machinery services at affordable prices and promote mechanization of operations on small farms. With this background, the present study is taken upto assess the feasibility for the establishment of FPO owned and operated model custom hiring centre (CHC) in Nimmanapalle mandal of chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh state and formulate suitable business strategies for ensuring viability of the unit. The sample size of the study was 120 farmers. The major crops grown in the study area are tomato, paddy and groundnut and the market potential for farm machinery is estimated at Rs. 269.73 lakhs. The SWOT analysis conducted indicated the opportunity for establishment of CHC due to inadequate farm machinery services, labour shortages and farmers habituated to hiring services. The financial assessment for the proposed unit over a five year period showed that the unit is worth investing as reflected by positive NPV of 6.56 lakhs at 12% discount rate, BCR of 1.05 and IRR of 17.27%. The debt service coverage ratios of greater than two from second year onwards and annual increase of positive cash accruals signifies the unit strength in meeting the debt obligations. The unit if established shall have long term social benefits that includes increase in input use efficiency of farm resources due to timeliness of operations, productivity, yields, income levels in addition to creation of employment in non-farm sector.

Automatic Plant Watering System using Arduino Uno and Soil Moisture Sensors

Food creation procedures must be improved as a result of fast interest in food. Since India has horticulture as the primary wellspring of creation, legitimate water system plans are to be utilized for a proficient result .It includes two sensors that estimate the temp. and soil moisture levels of environmental factors. The yield of these sensors is given to the ADC and later to the microcontroller. The microcontroller is contrasted with properties and edge estrims and controls the transfer that controls the engine. The configuration is financially save and furthermore moderate. A minimal effort based automatic irrigation framework using a soil moisture sensor is introduced in this paper in which the dirt gives the moisture sensor it yields on the condition of the dirt and subsequently works with the help of the Arduino. Since farming is given a high requirement in the life of the economy, water is the fundamental factor for better horticultural development. Lack of sufficient water and abundance of water causes damage to plants. Therefore we need a powerful and effective innovation for better farming. Water is the core of the water system structure and water scarcity is a developing issue for the farm. The quantity of water should be checked for better efficiency and maintenance of crops. The water guideline for various yields is varied, as water scarcity or excessive water can be harmful for farming. An emotionally supportive network is being created for an irrigation remote sensor based irrigation water guideline. The prefer framework assesses the water requirement for crops based on soil moisture information deposited by some sensor hubs sent to the farm. Mechanization demonstrated time and cost in a way that is an exceptional aid to business, which is more than what a professional visionary can do in all measurements.

Mechanized Cultivation Increases Labour Efficiency

Farm mechanization facilitates to increase agricultural productivity and improves farm management by replacing human labour. Therefore, mechanical intervention is a vital adaptation strategy for a sustainable rice production system. Thus, this study aims to (i) estimate the amount of mechanical in-tervention required in rice cultivation, particularly in transplanting and harvesting operation; and (ii) delineate the impact of farm mechanization on rice productivity and employment generation. The primary data were collected through a household survey and key informant interviews. These data were used for projecting rice area, labour requirement, and off-farm employment opportunities in rice cultivation. Besides, secondary data were collected from published literature. The break-even la-bour requirement per hectare rice cultivation was 2.88 work-days. Labour productivity might be doubled by 2030 subject to bringing 42% and 36% of the total rice area under mechanical transplant-ing and harvesting, respectively. The projected demands of the transplanter and combine harvester to achieve the goal are 49,172 and 28,382, respectively. The mechanized rice transplanting, weeding, and harvesting reduced labour requirement by 29, 26, and 34%, respectively, compared to the manual op-erations. Besides, mechanization meets up the demand for labour at a seasonal peak and increases rice productivity. Furthermore, it creates some off-farm (e.g., operating) and non-farm (e.g., manufac-turing, repairing, and trading) employment opportunities for operating, maintenance, fabricating, and marketing of the machinery. Syncronize farming is required for enhancing the field efficiency of the farm machine at present size and shape of plots. Besides, the synchronized farming is beneficial for providing service to the farmers at their affordable rental charge. Government assistance should continue and strengthen for the procurement of transplanters and combine harvesters. A holistic ap-proach combining the public and private intervention is essential for achieving the mechanized farm-ing goal for sustainable rice farming in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Rice J. 24 (2): 49-66, 2021

Determinants of Small-Scale Mechanization for Potato Farming: A Case from Bangladesh

Identifying the determinants of farm mechanization can play a crucial role in the agriculture sector’s development. The present study identifies the determinants of potato farm mechanization employing the ordered probit model. A total of 150 potato farmers were interviewed to achieve the objectives. The findings indicate that only around 13% of the respondents were high adopters. The adoption of potato farm mechanization was influenced by education, spouse education, farm size, and training. Marginal effect analysis suggested that farm size and training decrease the likelihood of being in the low adopter’s category, respectively, by 13.2% and 10%, while increases the likelihood of being in the high adopter’s category by 7.5% and 5.7%. Policy implications included more investment in extension facilities such as training from public agencies to sustain and increase adoption. Modifying the existing extension strategy by targeting not only primary farmers but also members of their families would help with the widespread adoption of farm mechanization.