Mechanised farming

Mechanised farming (MF) is one of the modern techniques to boost agricultural production. In the developed countries, it has been gaining popularity for the past few decades because in these countries agriculture is commercialised and forms an integral part of their economy.

In these countries, agricultural output is for sale, and final consumption may take place very far from the farms on which the crops are grown. The requirements of the households of the commercial farmers are fulfilled through the sale of farm products. Such farmers expect to receive a reasonable return on the capital invested in the farms and a profit to encourage them to continue their work.

In these countries, the use of more and bigger machinery is responsible for the withering of the small farms. Also, small landholders, who cannot buy specialised equipment, are forced to depend on large landholders and agro-businessmen that have huge capital to bring about agricultural development.

In the developing and least developed countries, what the farmers receive in return from their labour relies on the bounty or otherwise of nature and their social obligations. Since they may be compelled to turn over half or more of their agricultural outputs to the landlords or to dispose them to the money-lenders or middlemen at a discount, they have difficulty in adopting mechanised farming. In these countries, there are many small landholders who cannot buy the necessary equipment and are hobbled by paralysing factors, such as lack of local oil supply and financial problems to pay for the imported bill.

Despite the fact that Nepal’s percentage of working population in agricultural pursuit is very high, agricultural production is dwindling every year mainly due to the adoption of age-old practices in many parts of the country till now. Since its agricultural productivity is low, it has not been able to meet the domestic demand, resulting in the increase in import of agricultural products every year.

Actually, there are many challenges, yet the agricultural sector has some prospects for creating an economy that is self-dependent.

Recently, the left alliance government’s ‘Prosperous Nepal: Happy Nepal’ campaign aimed at ushering in a new era of mechanised farming to increase agricultural production.

Hopefully, the spirit is not dampened by the dissolution of the House of Representatives.

In order to promote such farming, the government has launched a plan to revive the

 

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