Impact of Farm Mechanization on Cropping Pattern and Cropping Intensity - A Case Study from Assam, India

Farm mechanization is considered as important pathways of agricultural development. A farming system cannot sustain with the traditional system. The mechanization of farm is also inductive to the diversification of the cropping pattern as it enables farmer to raise a second crop or multi crop ultimately raising cropping intensity. The study was conducted in Central Brahmaputra Valley and Upper Brahmaputra Valley Zone of Assam, India. The objective of the study is to examine the effect of mechanization on cropping pattern and cropping intensity .Primary data were collected with the help of specially design pretested schedule by interview method. Thus, a sample of 240 farmers had been taken for the study. Cropping intensity was higher in case of all mechanize farm than bullock operated farm not only individual size groups but all farm size taken together. Tractor Hired Farm had the highest cropping intensity (162.21 per cent) followed by Power Tiller Hired Farm (161.49 per cent) and Tractor Operated Farm (152.00) per cent) and Power Tiller Operated Farm (154.62 per cent), respectively. In case Bullock Operated Farm cropping intensity showed positive relationship with farm size but reverse was the in case of each mechanized farm. Mechanized farm had higher cropping intensity which was confirmed by regression analysis that in all the categories of farm had positive significant relationship with cropping intensity but farm size and cropping intensity had highly significant inverse relationship. Cropping pattern of different categories of mechanized farms slightly shifted to high valued crops while in case of Bullock Operated Farm it was remain sali rice biased as usual. Mechanization showed an impact on increasing cropping intensities in the study area where Tractor Ownership Farm by hiring appeared to be the most important form of mechanization as it depicted a very high significant relationship with the cropping intensity in the study area. Cooperative management of farm machinery, financing of second-hand tractors for small farmers should be given for strengthening mechanization amongst the small farmers in the study area.