Agricultural Mechanization And Agricultural Transformation

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Agricultural mechanization and agricultural transformation

Author : Diao, Xinshen
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 56 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Agricultural mechanization and agricultural transformation by : Diao, Xinshen

Download or read book Agricultural mechanization and agricultural transformation written by Diao, Xinshen and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2016-04-29 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A renewed focus on agriculture’s potential contribution to economic transformation in Africa has resulted in increased attention paid to agricultural mechanization. African agriculture still relies predominantly on human muscle power despite anecdotal evidence on urbanization and rising rural wages, in contrast to other developing regions that have experienced rapid increases in agricultural mechanization during the past few decades. Past state-led mechanization pushes in Africa often failed due to insufficient understanding of the nature of demand for mechanization technologies among farmers and insufficient knowledge of private-sector functions. This background paper reviews the factors likely to influence farmer demand for mechanization in Africa and details different existing and potential mechanization supply models. Although an empirical analysis of mechanization demand and the effectiveness of supply chains is beyond the scope of this paper, in part due to data limitations, this paper suggests that demand for mechanization may be emerging in some parts of Africa. It also suggests that private-sector-driven supply models are better positioned to meet this demand than direct government involvement and certain types of subsidized programs. The paper then identifies possible areas for government support to complement private-sector leadership in developing mechanization supply chains. Nevertheless, significant further research is required to better understand the changing nature of mechanization demand in Africa and the extent and effectiveness of different supply models in meeting it.

An evolving paradigm of agricultural mechanization development: How much can Africa learn from Asia?

Author : Diao, Xinshen, ed.
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 : 0896293807
Total Pages : 548 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (962 download)

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Book Synopsis An evolving paradigm of agricultural mechanization development: How much can Africa learn from Asia? by : Diao, Xinshen, ed.

Download or read book An evolving paradigm of agricultural mechanization development: How much can Africa learn from Asia? written by Diao, Xinshen, ed. and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2020-12-07 with total page 548 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agricultural mechanization in Africa south of the Sahara — especially for small farms and businesses — requires a new paradigm to meet the needs of the continent’s evolving farming systems. Can Asia, with its recent success in adopting mechanization, offer a model for Africa? An Evolving Paradigm of Agricultural Mechanization Development analyzes the experiences of eight Asian and five African countries. The authors explore crucial government roles in boosting and supporting mechanization, from import policies to promotion policies to public good policies. Potential approaches presented to facilitating mechanization in Africa include prioritizing market-led hiring services, eliminating distortions, and developing appropriate technologies for the African context. The role of agricultural mechanization within overall agricultural and rural transformation strategies in Africa is also discussed. The book’s recommendations and insights should be useful to national policymakers and the development community, who can adapt this knowledge to local contexts and use it as a foundation for further research.

Overview of the evolution of agricultural mechanization in Nigeria

Author : Takeshima, Hiroyuki
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 41 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Overview of the evolution of agricultural mechanization in Nigeria by : Takeshima, Hiroyuki

Download or read book Overview of the evolution of agricultural mechanization in Nigeria written by Takeshima, Hiroyuki and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2018-08-17 with total page 41 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Demand for mechanization in Nigeria is growing in a fairly consistent way predicted by economic theories. The farming system has intensified and the use of animal traction has grown at a substantial rate. Demand side factors considerably explain the low adoptions of tractors in Nigeria. Where demand is sufficient for tractors, the private sector has emerged over time as a more efficient provider of hiring services (particularly farmer-tofarmer services) than the public sector. Conditions are consistent with the hypotheses that, because of generally low support for the agricultural sector in Nigeria in the past few decades, agricultural mechanization (tractor use in particular) has remained low despite the declining share of the workforce engaged in the agricultural sector. Agricultural transformation in the form of a declining agricultural labor force has happened partly through the growth in the oil industry since the 1970s. Instead of inducing further exit from farming, tractor adoptions in Nigeria might have helped those who have remained in farming to start expanding their production scale. A knowledge gap, however, still remains regarding the dominance of large tractors and the potential effects of tractor adoptions on smallholders who have yet to adopt them.

Mechanized: Transforming Africa’s agriculture value chains

Author : Malabo Montpellier Panel
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 55 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Mechanized: Transforming Africa’s agriculture value chains by : Malabo Montpellier Panel

Download or read book Mechanized: Transforming Africa’s agriculture value chains written by Malabo Montpellier Panel and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2018-07-26 with total page 55 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The current report—Mechanized: Transforming Africa’s Agriculture Value Chains—summarizes the findings of a systematic analysis of what countries at the forefront of progress in mechanization have done right. It analyzes which policy decisions were taken and which interventions were implemented to substantially increase the uptake of mechanization. The report takes a broad perspective on mechanization, including technologies along the entire value chain and how they relate to agricultural development and job creation. The report shows what can be done to sustainably mechanize agriculture to increase production and enhance value addition across value chain segments. The set of policies and practices that are identified, if brought to scale, could have significant impact on agricultural transformation in Africa. The report provides a roadmap for African governments to take concerted action to deliver on the growth and transformation targets set out by the Malabo Declaration and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization: A Framework for Africa

Author : Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher : Food & Agriculture Org.
ISBN 13 : 9251308713
Total Pages : 150 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (513 download)

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Book Synopsis Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization: A Framework for Africa by : Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Download or read book Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization: A Framework for Africa written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2019-03-13 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This framework presents ten interrelated principles/elements to guide Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization in Africa (SAMA). Further, it presents the technical issues to be considered under SAMA and the options to be analysed at the country and sub regional levels. The ten key elements required in a framework for SAMA are as follows: The analysis in the framework calls for a specific approach, involving learning from other parts of the world where significant transformation of the agricultural mechanization sector has already occurred within a three-to-four decade time frame, and developing policies and programmes to realize Africa’s aspirations of Zero Hunger by 2025. This approach entails the identification and prioritization of relevant and interrelated elements to help countries develop strategies and practical development plans that create synergies in line with their agricultural transformation plans. Given the unique characteristics of each country and the diverse needs of Africa due to the ecological heterogeneity and the wide range of farm sizes, the framework avoids being prescriptive.

Mechanization policy- Creating an enabling environment for private-sector investment

Author : Kennedy, Adam
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 3 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Mechanization policy- Creating an enabling environment for private-sector investment by : Kennedy, Adam

Download or read book Mechanization policy- Creating an enabling environment for private-sector investment written by Kennedy, Adam and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2018-09-11 with total page 3 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mechanization increases the power applied to agricultural operations and is one tool among many for improving farm productivity. It alone cannot drive the transformation of agriculture (Pingali 2007). Farmers will mechanize to lower costs and ensure timeliness of operations, allowing a greater area of land to be cultivated. The demand for mechanization is therefore determined by the stage of agricultural transformation reflecting the use of complementary inputs (improved seeds, fertilizer), the intensity of farming, land hold-ings, and rural labor supply. Countries across developing Asia have mechanized at different rates corresponding to their level of agricul-tural transformation but also strongly influenced by government policies. ReSAKSS-Asia organized a knowledge exchange event entitled “Agriculture and Rural Transformation in Asia: Past Experiences and Fu-ture Opportunities” to discuss, among many topics, insights into how agricultural mechanization has evolved in countries with different agroecological, institutional and political settings, and what common lessons can be learned for those countries at the early stage of mechanization. This brief summarizes some of the key lessons shared by participants.

Medium and large-scale farmers and agricultural mechanization in Ghana

Author : Chapoto, Antony
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 49 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Medium and large-scale farmers and agricultural mechanization in Ghana by : Chapoto, Antony

Download or read book Medium and large-scale farmers and agricultural mechanization in Ghana written by Chapoto, Antony and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2014-06-27 with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The survey was aimed at characterizing the transition of smallholder farmers who have become medium- and large-scale commercial farmers in Ghana, assessing agricultural machinery ownership, and patterns of demand for agricultural mechanization among farmers in the country. The data generated from the survey will answer some of the critical questions pertaining to agricultural transformation in the country.

Managing Agricultural Transformation

Author : World Bank. Agriculture and Rural Development Department
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 55 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (77 download)

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Book Synopsis Managing Agricultural Transformation by : World Bank. Agriculture and Rural Development Department

Download or read book Managing Agricultural Transformation written by World Bank. Agriculture and Rural Development Department and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page 55 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Effects of agricultural mechanization on economies of scope in crop production in Nigeria

Author : Takeshima, Hiroyuki
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 34 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Effects of agricultural mechanization on economies of scope in crop production in Nigeria by : Takeshima, Hiroyuki

Download or read book Effects of agricultural mechanization on economies of scope in crop production in Nigeria written by Takeshima, Hiroyuki and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2018-09-06 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agricultural mechanization has often been characterized by scale-effects and increased specialization. Such characterizations, however, fail to explain how mechanization may grow in Africa where production environments are more heterogeneous and diversification of production may help in mitigating risks from increasingly uncertain climatic conditions. Using panel data from farm households and crop-specific production costs in Nigeria, we estimate how the adoption of animal traction or tractors affects the economies of scope (EOS) between rice, non-rice grains, legume/seed crops, and other crops, which are the crop groups that are most widely grown with animal traction or tractors in Nigeria. The results indicate that the adoption of these mechanization technologies is associated with lower EOS between non-rice grains, legume/seed crops, and other crops, but greater EOS between rice and other crops. An increase in EOS for rice is indicated in both primal and dual analytical approaches. Mechanical technologies may raise EOS between crops that are grown in more heterogeneous environments, even though it may lower EOS between crops that are grown in relatively similar environments. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper that shows the effects of mechanical technologies on EOS in agriculture in developing countries.

Agricultural transformation: trends in farm size, crop diversification and mechanization in Nicaragua and Peru

Author : Srinivasan, S.V., Saborío, M., Morales Opazo, C.
Publisher : Food & Agriculture Org.
ISBN 13 : 9251367973
Total Pages : 92 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (513 download)

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Book Synopsis Agricultural transformation: trends in farm size, crop diversification and mechanization in Nicaragua and Peru by : Srinivasan, S.V., Saborío, M., Morales Opazo, C.

Download or read book Agricultural transformation: trends in farm size, crop diversification and mechanization in Nicaragua and Peru written by Srinivasan, S.V., Saborío, M., Morales Opazo, C. and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2022-09-02 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Structural change is a process in which the amount of labour, capital and land dedicated to agriculture (and other sectors) changes over time. In this study, we focus on the cases of Peru and Nicaragua using their two most recently administered agricultural censuses. The agricultural censuses permit us to identify dimensions and information available to study the process of structural change in Latin America over the last 20 years. The study includes a comparative analysis and policy recommendations based on the two most recent agricultural censuses administered in Nicaragua (2001 and 2011) and Peru (1994 and 2012). Processing and analysing information from these censuses contribute to identifying dimensions and information available to study the process of structural change in Latin America over the last 20 years. Evidence-based policymaking is increasingly more at the core of the United Nations and member countries’ activity. In the case of FAO, this type of study is crucial to build the knowledge body on which projects and activities are carried forward. The Hand-in-Hand (HiH) initiative is a key example in this context, as it aims at quantitatively identifying high-impact and high-agricultural potential areas in which to invest within developing countries. As Nicaragua and Peru are HiH’s target countries, this study will show very useful to learn about their recent experiences in agricultural transformations.

Changing returns-to-scale and deepening of factor-endowments-induced specialization: Exploring broader linkage between agricultural mechanization and agricultural transformation in Nepal

Download Changing returns-to-scale and deepening of factor-endowments-induced specialization: Exploring broader linkage between agricultural mechanization and agricultural transformation in Nepal PDF Online Free

Author : Takeshima, Hiroyuki
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 55 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Changing returns-to-scale and deepening of factor-endowments-induced specialization: Exploring broader linkage between agricultural mechanization and agricultural transformation in Nepal by : Takeshima, Hiroyuki

Download or read book Changing returns-to-scale and deepening of factor-endowments-induced specialization: Exploring broader linkage between agricultural mechanization and agricultural transformation in Nepal written by Takeshima, Hiroyuki and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2020-06-11 with total page 55 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Heterogeneity in factor endowments and the degree of specializations induced by comparative advantages are among the crucial factors that affect the overall productivity of the economy. Few studies, however, investigate what strengthens such endowment-related specialization patterns in the agricultural sector in low-income countries, although such evolutions have profound effects on the role of factor endowments in households’ behaviors. This is in contrast to well-established international trade theory, such as the Heckscher–Ohlin theorem which describes how heterogeneity in endowment across countries gives rise to comparative advantages for specialization and trade. We partly fill this critical knowledge gap by providing a set of evidence from Nepal, which is a country that has historically been dominated by smallholder farmers and yet has recently been experiencing rapid structural transformation within the agricultural sector. Specifically, we show the following: the agricultural sector in Nepal has experienced a significant increase in returns-to-scale (RTS) in production in recent years during the process of growing adoptions of agricultural mechanization through the custom-hiring market. Such increase in RTS has primarily strengthened the linkages between factor endowment heterogeneity (across farm households) and their specialization behaviors in labor, land, and the agricultural capital market. Both cross-section and panel-data of households in Nepal extracted from Nepal Living Standards Surveys are used to generate this evidence. We find that rising RTS associated primarily with tractor use growth has been inducing greater exploitations of comparative advantages; agricultural households have been increasingly specializing in exchanges of production factors, services, and outputs, in ways consistent with predictions based on their relative factor endowments. Specifically, the rise in RTS has induced households with more labor, land, and capital endowments to rent out their labor, land, and credit, respectively, within the agricultural sector, while increasingly renting-in the other factors with which they are less endowed. The results suggest that understanding factor endowments heterogeneity among agricultural households is becoming increasingly important for effective agricultural policy designs in countries like Nepal, where employment shares in the agricultural sector remain high despite the growth in mechanization.

A Revolution Down on the Farm

Author : Paul K. Conkin
Publisher : University Press of Kentucky
ISBN 13 : 081313868X
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (131 download)

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Book Synopsis A Revolution Down on the Farm by : Paul K. Conkin

Download or read book A Revolution Down on the Farm written by Paul K. Conkin and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2008-09-01 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At a time when food is becoming increasingly scarce in many parts of the world and food prices are skyrocketing, no industry is more important than agriculture. Humans have been farming for thousands of years, and yet agriculture has undergone more fundamental changes in the past 80 years than in the previous several centuries. In 1900, 30 million American farmers tilled the soil or tended livestock; today there are fewer than 4.5 million farmers who feed a population four times larger than it was at the beginning of the century. Fifty years ago, the planet could not have sustained a population of 6.5 billion; now, commercial and industrial agriculture ensure that millions will not die from starvation. Farmers are able to feed an exponentially growing planet because the greatest industrial revolution in history has occurred in agriculture since 1929, with U.S. farmers leading the way. Productivity on American farms has increased tenfold, even as most small farmers and tenants have been forced to find other work. Today, only 300,000 farms produce approximately ninety percent of the total output, and overproduction, largely subsidized by government programs and policies, has become the hallmark of modern agriculture. A Revolution Down on the Farm: The Transformation of American Agriculture since 1929 charts the profound changes in farming that have occurred during author Paul K. Conkin's lifetime. His personal experiences growing up on a small Tennessee farm complement compelling statistical data as he explores America's vast agricultural transformation and considers its social, political, and economic consequences. He examines the history of American agriculture, showing how New Deal innovations evolved into convoluted commodity programs following World War II. Conkin assesses the skills, new technologies, and government policies that helped transform farming in America and suggests how new legislation might affect farming in decades to come. Although the increased production and mechanization of farming has been an economic success story for Americans, the costs are becoming increasingly apparent. Small farmers are put out of business when they cannot compete with giant, non-diversified corporate farms. Caged chickens and hogs in factory-like facilities or confined dairy cattle require massive amounts of chemicals and hormones ultimately ingested by consumers. Fertilizers, new organic chemicals, manure disposal, and genetically modified seeds have introduced environmental problems that are still being discovered. A Revolution Down on the Farm concludes with an evaluation of farming in the twenty-first century and a distinctive meditation on alternatives to our present large scale, mechanized, subsidized, and fossil fuel and chemically dependent system.

Overview of the evolution of agricultural mechanization in Nepal: A focus on tractors and combine harvesters

Author : Takeshima, Hiroyuki
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 54 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Overview of the evolution of agricultural mechanization in Nepal: A focus on tractors and combine harvesters by : Takeshima, Hiroyuki

Download or read book Overview of the evolution of agricultural mechanization in Nepal: A focus on tractors and combine harvesters written by Takeshima, Hiroyuki and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2017-07-21 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study was conducted to understand the evolution of agricultural mechanization in Nepal, specifically its determinants on both the demand and supply sides, as well as impacts on agricultural production and associations with broader economic transformation processes, in order to draw lessons that can be conveyed to other less mechanized countries. Mechanization levels in Nepal, a largely agricultural country, were relatively low until a few decades ago. However, significant mechanization growth, including the adoption of tractors, has occurred since the 1990s, against a backdrop of rising rural wages, particularly for plowing, combined with growing emigration and growth in key staple crop yields and overall broad agricultural production growth, as well as improved market access and participation. This growth in mechanization has taken place despite the general absence of direct government support or promotion. The growth of tractor use in the plains of the Terai zone has transformed agricultural production rather than inducing labor movement out of agriculture, raising overall returns to scale in intensification and enabling the cultivation of greater areas by medium smallholders than by resource-poor smallholders. Tractors have also facilitated the intensification of crop production per unit of land among very small farmers, enabling mechanization growth despite the continued decline in farm size, although these farmers may not have benefited as much as medium smallholders. Potential future research areas with policy relevance include mitigating accessibility constraints to tractor custom hiring services, identifying appropriate regulatory policies for mechanization, and providing complementary support to some smallholders who may not fully benefit from tractor adoption alone.

Mechanization for Rural Development

Author : Josef Kienzle
Publisher : Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO)
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 368 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Mechanization for Rural Development by : Josef Kienzle

Download or read book Mechanization for Rural Development written by Josef Kienzle and published by Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). This book was released on 2013 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This publication gives a wide-ranging perspective on the present state of mechanization in the developing world, and, as such, constitutes a solid platform on which to build strategies for a sustainable future. Farm mechanization forms an integral plank in the implementation of sustainable crop production intensification methodologies and sustainable intensification necessarily means that the protection of natural resources and the production of ecosystem services go hand-in-hand with intensified production practices. This requires specific mechanization measures to allow crops to be established with minimum soil disturbance, to allow the soil to be protected under organic cover for as long as possible, and to establish crop rotations and associations to feed the soil and to exploit crop nutrients from various soil horizons. This work is the starting point to help the reader understand the complexities and requirements of the task ahead.

Agricultural mechanization services, rice productivity, and farm/plot size: Insights from Myanmar

Author : Myanmar Agriculture Policy Support Activity (MAPSA)
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 38 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Agricultural mechanization services, rice productivity, and farm/plot size: Insights from Myanmar by : Myanmar Agriculture Policy Support Activity (MAPSA)

Download or read book Agricultural mechanization services, rice productivity, and farm/plot size: Insights from Myanmar written by Myanmar Agriculture Policy Support Activity (MAPSA) and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2023-07-27 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The relationship between productivity and farm size has been at the center of considerable debate. Agricultural mechanization – that is rapidly taking off in a large number of low- and middle-income countries – has been identified as one of the emerging technologies in these settings with a critical, yet complex, influence on this productivity-size relation. However, knowledge gaps remain as how agricultural transformation due to the adoption of new technologies and the change in factor costs, such as mechanization fees, are associated with this productivity - size relation. In the case of Myanmar, where mechanization use has dramatically increased over the last decade, we find a significant inverse productivity - plot size relationship, with small rice plots having productivity levels approximately 30 percent higher than large plots. However, rising mechanization fees – more so in conflict-affected townships – attenuated this inverse relation between rice productivity (yield and profit per land) and plot size substantially. These results primarily hold on the largest rice plot cultivated by each farmer, but also generally hold when comparing total rice area and major non-rice area. Our results are likely explained by the fact that, in Myanmar, smallholders have become more dependent on mechanization services than larger farms (who can rely on their own machines) do, that alternatives to mechanization services have become scarce (as mechanization use changed little, despite these price increases), and that mechanization service costs account for a significant share of the total production costs among smallholders.

An evolving paradigm of agricultural mechanization development: How much can Africa learn from Asia? Synopsis

Author : Diao, Xinshen, ed.
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN 13 : 0896293823
Total Pages : 4 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (962 download)

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Book Synopsis An evolving paradigm of agricultural mechanization development: How much can Africa learn from Asia? Synopsis by : Diao, Xinshen, ed.

Download or read book An evolving paradigm of agricultural mechanization development: How much can Africa learn from Asia? Synopsis written by Diao, Xinshen, ed. and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2020-12-07 with total page 4 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agricultural mechanization in Africa south of the Sahara — especially for small farms and businesses — requires a new paradigm to meet the needs of the continent’s evolving farming systems. Can Asia, with its recent success in adopting mechanization, offer a model for Africa? An Evolving Paradigm of Agricultural Mechanization Development analyzes the experiences of eight Asian and five African countries. The authors explore crucial government roles in boosting and supporting mechanization, from import policies to promotion policies to public good policies. Potential approaches presented to facilitating mechanization in Africa include prioritizing market-led hiring services, eliminating distortions, and developing appropriate technologies for the African context. The role of agricultural mechanization within overall agricultural and rural transformation strategies in Africa is also discussed. The book’s recommendations and insights should be useful to national policymakers and the development community, who can adapt this knowledge to local contexts and use it as a foundation for further research.

A Revolution Down on the Farm

Author : Paul Conkin
Publisher : University Press of Kentucky
ISBN 13 : 0813173159
Total Pages : 243 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (131 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis A Revolution Down on the Farm by : Paul Conkin

Download or read book A Revolution Down on the Farm written by Paul Conkin and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2008-09-01 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At a time when food is becoming increasingly scarce in many parts of the world and food prices are skyrocketing, no industry is more important than agriculture. Humans have been farming for thousands of years, and yet agriculture has undergone more fundamental changes in the past 80 years than in the previous several centuries. In 1900, 30 million American farmers tilled the soil or tended livestock; today there are fewer than 4.5 million farmers who feed a population four times larger than it was at the beginning of the century. Fifty years ago, the planet could not have sustained a population of 6.5 billion; now, commercial and industrial agriculture ensure that millions will not die from starvation. Farmers are able to feed an exponentially growing planet because the greatest industrial revolution in history has occurred in agriculture since 1929, with U.S. farmers leading the way. Productivity on American farms has increased tenfold, even as most small farmers and tenants have been forced to find other work. Today, only 300,000 farms produce approximately ninety percent of the total output, and overproduction, largely subsidized by government programs and policies, has become the hallmark of modern agriculture. A Revolution Down on the Farm: The Transformation of American Agriculture since 1929 charts the profound changes in farming that have occurred during author Paul K. Conkin’s lifetime. His personal experiences growing up on a small Tennessee farm complement compelling statistical data as he explores America’s vast agricultural transformation and considers its social, political, and economic consequences. He examines the history of American agriculture, showing how New Deal innovations evolved into convoluted commodity programs following World War II. Conkin assesses the skills, new technologies, and government policies that helped transform farming in America and suggests how new legislation might affect farming in decades to come. Although the increased production and mechanization of farming has been an economic success story for Americans, the costs are becoming increasingly apparent. Small farmers are put out of business when they cannot compete with giant, non-diversified corporate farms. Caged chickens and hogs in factory-like facilities or confined dairy cattle require massive amounts of chemicals and hormones ultimately ingested by consumers. Fertilizers, new organic chemicals, manure disposal, and genetically modified seeds have introduced environmental problems that are still being discovered. A Revolution Down on the Farm concludes with an evaluation of farming in the twenty-first century and a distinctive meditation on alternatives to our present large scale, mechanized, subsidized, and fossil fuel and chemically dependent system.