An Analysis of Extent of Farm Mechanization in North Bank Plains Agro-Climatic Zone of Assam

Farm mechanization plays an important role for effective utilization of inputs which ultimately increase the productivity of land and labour by reducing the drudgery in farm operations in agriculture. There has been a substantial progress in farm mechanization in India; however, its spread has not been equal in all states for various reasons. This study was conducted in Sonitpur and Udalguri districts under North Bank Plain Agro-Climatic Zone of Assam with 160 farmers to analyse the factors influencing the extent of farm mechanization across different farm size groups. The findings revealed that majority of marginal (64.86%), small (64.52%), medium (72%) and large (72.73%) farmers had medium level of farm mechanization. In case of pooled sample, majority (67.5%) of the respondents had medium level of farm mechanization. The findings of the study indicated that majority of the respondents belonged to medium mechanization category. It implies that concerned agencies/ organizations should put more efforts in accelerating the adoption of farm mechanization by the farmers for sustainable agricultural production. The findings of regression analysis showed that in case of pooled farmers 8 variables, viz. education level, occupational status, scientific orientation, economic motivation, cropping intensity, social participation, working capital availability and innovativeness significantly contribute towards the extent of farm mechanization. It implies that there is possibility for the extension agencies to manipulate these crucial factors in order to bring about desirable changes in the farm mechanization adoption behaviour of farmers.