Impact of mechanization on time savings and timeliness of operation in cotton cultivation

Introduction

Agriculture occupies pivotal role in Indian economy. Over the past decade, there has been a growing recognition of the significance of farm mechanization. Consequently, new farming equipment and implements have been developed and brought into the market. This has resulted in increasing productivity, boosting food production to meet the needs of the growing population, while simultaneously reducing the physical toll associated with farming activities. Farmers suffer due to labor shortages during critical agricultural operations. Therefore, there is a strong case for the adoption of labour-saving farm machinery. It is important to note that, certain agricultural activities are time-bound and any delay can result in losses for the farmers. To address the labour shortage, farmers have employed various strategies such as sourcing labor from outside their villages, contracting farm work, shared farming, and embracing farm mechanization. Farm mechanization is considered one of the pathways to agricultural development. Farm mechanization is nothing but application of engineering and technology in the agricultural operation to do a job in better way to enrich productivity. Considering the need of hour, the farm mechanization has its own importance in upliftment of farming community. Government spending huge amount on accelerating the pace of farm mechanization by providing various tools and machineries at subsidized rate to the farmers. Especially the mechanized operations are being carried out by cotton growers to perform different farm operation on time and to reduce the time of operation. As all this efforts of farm mechanization connected with investment on part of government. As per oxford dictionary, impact is the powerful effect of something on something/someone. It is operationally defines as changes (economical, social and environmental) happened by the use of mechanization in farming on cotton growers. The present investigation was planned to assess impact of farm mechanization on time saving and timeliness www.extensionjournal.com of operation by cotton growers.

Methodology

The study was conducted in Western Vidarbha region of Maharashtra state comprises five districts i.e. Buldana, Akola, Amravati, Washim, Yavatmal. The list of talukas were obtained from Department of Agriculture in which the area under cotton cultivation was more and where maximum tractors, machineries and improved tools were distributed through various mechanization schemes. Based on maximum beneficiaries in talukas, two talukas were selected from each district. The lists of villages having the beneficiaries of mechanization scheme and having more area under cotton cultivation were obtained from the Taluka Agricultural Officer (TAO). Accordingly, forty villages were selected from ten talukas of five districts in western Vidarbha. Selection of farmers was done on the basis ofuse of improved farm implements& machineries in cotton cultivation from last 3 years either benefitted under the scheme or using it on hiring basis as user of mechanized farming and those farmers following the farm operations through traditional method and non-beneficiary of any mechanization scheme as non-user. A pre-tested structured interview schedule was used to collect the data from the respondents by personal interview method and exploratory research design was used in this study. To measure impact of farm mechanization two dimensions were selected and calculated namely, 1. Change in timeliness of operation 2. Change in time saving

Results

Change in timeliness of operation

Timeliness of operation in agriculture refers to the strategic timing of various farming activities throughout the crop production cycle. It involves executing tasks such as planting, irrigation, fertilization, pest management, and harvesting at specific stages or under favorable conditions to optimize crop growth, yield, and quality. The concept emphasizes performing these activities promptly and in alignment with the crop's developmental needs and environmental factors, aiming to maximize efficiency, minimize risks, and enhance overall agricultural productivity. The change in timeliness is measured as the difference between the occurrence of on-time operations in mechanized and non-mechanized farming on yes and no basis with scoring 2 and 1 respectively, as reported by respondents. Frequency scores for each operation were used to assess the variation in timeliness of operations between mechanized and non-mechanized farming. Details are provided in the table below. [2] and Singh et al. (2010) [5] Change in time saving (Hr/ Ha) Time saving refers to the practice or result of reducing the amount of time required to complete a task, process, or activity. It involves using efficient methods, tools, or strategies that minimize unnecessary delays or inefficiencies. The goal of time saving is to optimize productivity by allocating resources effectively and completing tasks more quickly without compromising quality or effectiveness.

It is defined in practice as the actual hours saved when performing various farm operations such as land preparation, sowing, fertilizer application, intercultural operations, plant protection, and harvesting in both mechanized and non-mechanized farming. The change in time saving is quantified as the difference between the time required for these operations in mechanized versus non-mechanized farming. Mean scores for each operation were used to assess the variation in time saved (hr/ha) across different farm activities between mechanized and non-mechanized farming methods. Details can be found in the table below. [8] , Pooja et al. (2019) [3] , Tiwari (2021) [4] and Singh (2023) [6] . From the data presented in the Table 6, it was observed that the overall impact of farm mechanization on cotton growers was 65.06 per cent. This figure was derived by averaging the percentage changes timeliness of operations (67.15%) and time saving (62.97%) Thus, cotton growers who adopt mechanized farming techniques experience an overall impact of 65.06 per cent compared to those who practice non-mechanized farming. This indicates significant improvements in several aspects of their agricultural operations.

Overall Impact

Conclusion

The study concluded that, farmers who utilized mechanized farming techniques benefited more than those who followed traditional practices. For respondents using mechanized farming, the mean value for timeliness of operations was 09.80, compared to 05.86 for non-users, showing a 67.15 per cent improvement. The mean time required for performing various farm operations was 51.18 hours per hectare for mechanized users, while it was 138.34 hours per hectare for non-users, indicating a 62.97 per cent reduction in time. This efficiency is likely due to the use of machinery and improved equipment, allowing for quicker, more efficient work by skilled labor, which ensured timely operations and saved time. Overall, mechanization resulted in a 65.06per cent impact on various farm operations, excluding cotton picking. Therefore, further efforts are needed to raise awareness among farmers about the importance of mechanization in cotton farming to elevate the impact from a high to a very high level.

References

1. Anonymous. Cotton Outlook -February 2022. Agricultural Market Intelligence Centre, PJTSAU, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad; c2022.
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6. Suleiman HR, Ibrahim H, Isa OM, Ishiaku OK. Labouruse differential among mechanized and nonmechanized rice farmers in Nasarawa state, Nigeria. J Agril Vet Sci. 2014;7:35-44.