Technological change in agriculture, employment and over-all development strategy; Mechanisation and employed in East African agriculture; Agricultural mechanisation and employment in Latin American; Employment and technological change in Philippine agriculture; Mechanisation of agriculture in India and Sri Lanka (Ceylon); Tractor mechanisation and rural development in Pakistan; Agricultural mechanisation and employment in Southern Italy.
Mechanization is a process of replacing biological sources of energy involving animal and human labour to mechanized sources of energy. Farm mechanization indicates the use of machines for conducting agricultural operations replacing the traditional methods which involve human and animal labour. In the period 2004-05 to 2011-12, robust growth in the secondary and tertiary sectors led to significant job creation in agriculture sector. Tractors and power tillers have been driving the farm mechanization in India. Tractor sales have grown at a CAGR of 9.0 % in Financial Year (FY) 05-15 to around 5.5 lakh tractors in FY15 (around 2.3 lakh in FY2005) whereas sales of power tillers have grown at a CAGR of 10.6% in FY2005 to 2015 to 48,000 power tillers in FY2015 (17,841 in FY2005). Farm mechanisation is a fuel to agriculture production now days. As several studies indicate the mechanisation not only reduced the drudgery of manual labour and it enables the efficient and judicious use of resources. The increased agricultural production and productivity over the decades is coupled with the farm power availability. High labour intensive crops have turned to low labour intensive crops by replacing the mechanical power, which also reduced the cost of production and improved quality of produce led to increased farmers income share.
Child labour in agriculture remains a global concern. Agriculture is the sector where most child labour is found. Employment of children mostly relates to farm household poverty in developing countries. This raises the question of the extent to which the modernisation of agriculture prevents the use of child labour while also leading to higher productivity. One of the central questions in this context is whether agricultural mechanisation helps limit children’s employment. Available studies have put forward opposing hypotheses, but rigorous empirical evidence is scant. The present study aims to fill some of this void by studying the evidence from comparable farm household survey data in seven developing countries, including three in Asia (India, Nepal, and Vietnam) and four in sub-Saharan Africa (Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Tanzania). Various key findings emerge. First, many children are found to engage in productive activities in studied countries. The prevalence is particularly high in African countries, such as in Ethiopia where more than one third of children aged 5-14 years engage in farm or off-farm work. Second, while the prevalence of child labour in agriculture (i.e., when productive engagement is detrimental to schooling and child growth) is much lower (at 10% or less in seven countries), they are still sizable in absolute terms; at least 6 million children in these countries partake in agricultural work at the expense of opportunities in adulthood. Third, agricultural mechanization, reflected in farm household’s use of machinery such as tractors, significantly reduces the likelihood of use of children’s labour and increases school attendance. Fourth, the measured impacts of mechanization are only modest, however, and likely indirect, that is, dependent on the extent to which mechanization helps improve household income and on local conditions (such as quality of rural infrastructure and accessibility of education and other social services). Overall, promotion of agricultural mechanization can help prevent use of child labour. To be truly impactful, however, related support measures should be embedded in broader strategies to enable agricultural productivity growth and improve livelihoods of poor rural households.
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.
Research report, agricultural mechanization, economic policy of technological change in the agricultural sector, Mexican migrant workers, USA - agrarian structure, historical background to foreign labour utilization, immigration trends, state intervention, structural changes after 1964, case study of tomato harvesting, agricultural policy implications. Bibliography, graphs, statistical tables.
