UNIT-IV
FARM PRODUCTION
Relation between farm productivity and size has been a hot topic among agricultural economists over the last decades due to its connection for the planning and implementation of agricultural policies worldwide
The productivity level of farms of all sizes are often influenced by variety of endogenous factor, e.g. labor equality, commodity specialization, level of mechanization, public policies, legal right policies, access to credit etc.
Size – productivity relation among Agricultural sector evolves with level of economic development. Specially the small farmers cultivating 5 hectares in low gain or developing countries apt to get additional output per hectare/acres than larger ones whereas large farms with thousand of hectares /acres beneath operation in developed countries apt to be more productive than small farms.
In low-income countries with a persuaded labor-intensive farming system and low wage rate, tiny farms operated largely by family members are more efficient than larger farms operated by hired workers. Economic growth stimulates the creation of non-farm jobs in rural areas and the growth of both farm and non-farm wages, which end up to the outflow of labor from small farms.
In high-income countries like USA and Australia, increasing returns to scale favoring large agricultural enterprises, significantly grain and livestock producers, are also related with implementation of modern technologies and mechanization. The evolution of machinery outsourcing services in these countries may facilitate smaller farms to increase efficiency ,potency and reduce the productivity gap with larger farms. High productivity levels of enormous livestock farms in the United States can be also elaborated by their closer cooperation with integrated agro-processors.
Finally, slack land market, a typically basic feature of developing countries, also influence TFP a lot. Land tenure policies, demonstrated in land market regulations or farm size restrictions restrain the growth of successful farms, preventing the farmland from being consolidated by more productive market players. One of the examples of ineffective land policy is a program implemented in India, Nepal ,, aiming to transforming farmland from large landowners to landless tenants. Instead of stressing over the development of small farms and increasing their efficiency and effectiveness , the reform fend off small landowners from the opportunity to rent out their farmland to larger farms. At the same time, land policies can give a support to small family farms.
Overall, despite the variety of approaches toward analysis of the farm size-productivity relationship, the above explained factors give essential insights into the relationships between farm size and productivity in the countries with different degrees of economic development worldwide.
Factors that affect farm productivity are:
For agricultural productivity innovation is a key factor. If farmers want to increase their productivity, they need to farm in smarter way, by using modern technology and farm management system Agrivi. It helps to manage whole farm production, from tracking and analyzing of activities on all fields, pesticides, consumption of fertilizers, work hours of workers and mechanization, to tracking of finances and complete farm analysis and reports.
Measures to improve productivity:
Using smarter way of irritation like drop by drop or sprinkler irrigation systems can increase crop yields up to 50 percent.
Varieties selection
Improved heat tolerant varieties let the plant to manage yields at higher temperatures. Heat tolerant varieties could rise crop yields up to 23 percent.
Conservation tillage
By applying conservation tillage practices, you save fuel, time and machinery wear.
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is an essential element needed for good plant growth. Proper use of nitrogen can increase crop yields by 22 percent.
Farm management software
Farm management software helps farmers to take complete control over your farming activities and analyze usage of all inputs and expenses, so you could identify weaker points and make proper improvements. By following these 5 key farming measures, can make improvements in farming productivity immediately.
Special attempts were made and are in process by the State Governments to implement the land reforms legislation forcefully so that the slogan ‘land to the tiller* is translated into practice. Unless this is done, the tiller will have no gain to invest in land and need adopt new agricultural techniques. Therefore, land reforms are the first and foremost need.
The total geographical area of the India is 328.7 million hectares, of which only 264.0 million hectares possess potential for organic production. Of this, ‘wastelands’ account for 79.5 million hectares leaving about 184.5 million hectares. However, even this area cannot be said to be in better health. This proves the immediate need for an efficient and integrated management policy directed towards better utilization of land and water resources.
Improved seeds can play an essential role in increasing the productivity. This has been amply proved by the experience of many states like punjab, haryana and also by the use of high-yielding varieties of wheat in Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh in our own country. Farmers should also be aware and educated in the methods of sowing, irrigating and maturing the new high-yielding varieties of seeds.
Use of improved seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides along with proper irrigation facilities. Irrigation can make multiple cropping possible in a many, areas and hence increases productivity.
Agricultural scientists have estimated that approximately 5 per cent of the crops are damaged by pests, insects and diseases. Most of the farmers in the countryside are not aware of the medicines and insecticides developed in recent years to face this challenge posed by pest, diseases and insects. The government should maintain its own technical reforms and staff to carry out the spraying of insecticides and pesticides.
Use of improved varieties of seeds, pesticides, fertilizers, insecticides, agricultural machinery and irrigation facilities, all require substantial money resources which small farmers do not usually possess. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the credit cooperative sector and free farmers from the clutches of large landowners.
Till the 70’s of the last century, Indian agriculture was in a poor condition. The agrarian economy was mostly consumption-oriented and there have been poor irrigation facilities and simple and traditional agricultural implements. Agricultural yield was terribly low and dependency on nature was very high.
The food grains were not enough even to feed the population. With a view to increase the yield, the Indian government had no option but to introduce Green Revolution. The Green Revolution lead agriculture towards excessive mechanization of agriculture. The agriculturists were assisted and motivated to undertake the technology-based farming. Irrigation facilities were developed.
Hybrid varieties of seeds were made accessible to the farmers. The conspicuous result of the Green Revolution was the rise of agricultural yield and a shift from pure consumption-oriented to modern market-oriented farming. Since then, there has not been any food grain in the country.
However, the results of Green Revolution weren’t uniform everywhere in the country. Neither there has been constant effect on all types of crops nor has there been constant effect on all the areas and categories of farmers.
The impact on alternative crops had not been as much as, it was effective on the wheat. It I wholly the big farmers who gained much. Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana benefited severely more than other states. In Uttar Pradesh the western parts got more beneficial than the eastern ones.
Today, the agriculture has been extremely mechanized. The process of harvesting, which used to be months’ long involving an extreme number of people have been reduced to a few days’ work without engaging any major manpower.
The use of technology has reduced the risk factors in agriculture, particularly those unleashed naturally. Not only that quick processing has been made possible, technology has reduced farmer’s dependency on, and vulnerability to, the nature.
Even artificial rain has been made possible nowadays to provide relief to the drought-hit villages. With the proper use of technology, it has become possible to minimize the risks involved in agriculture to which the early farmers were immensely exposed.
The advancement in technology has introduced a new economy, consciousness and sociability among the people. The agriculture, with the help of technology, has got transformed into a business enterprise and is gradually taking a capitalist character.
Some farmers have become capitalists in the sense that they create investments in their farms with fully calculated gains or results to be achieved ultimately. Such farmers are not dependent upon nature. They have their own means and methods to control the calamities unleashed naturally.
Technology application to agricultural productivity is the only possible solution to fulfill food demand of the growing population in India. In a rapidly changing world, with the prospect of decreasing arable land thanks to urbanization and industrialization, agricultural output requires a 70 % rise in production levels and efficient growth and development in the harvesting, distribution and consumption of the resources, to fulfill demand. There are innovations in communications Technology, information and engineering that can be applied to the agricultural sector in areas of precision farming, wireless sensors. use of farm management software, and use of agricultural machinery. Remote sensing technology is playing a key role through exactitude agriculture. This paper highlights ways in which exactitude agriculture is impacting on agriculture with the utilization of unmanned aerial vehicles for image capturing, processing and analysis.
Since most of the farmers in the study area are involved in rice production, this study surveys randomly selected 60 farmers who cultivates rice, with in the IRRI season of year 2015 through employing a form. This study analyzed that sufficient variation in levels of technology adoption in agricultural practices among the surveyed farmers. The analysis results define that farmers are adopting higher level of technology in irrigation and seed variety phases, medium level of technology in land preparation, pest management and fertilizer application phases and low level of technology in weeding and harvesting phases. There is a statistically essential distinction in productivity between high and low degree technology adopters. Education and land holdings are the statistically important elements in determining technology adoption level.
Technical reforms
Reforms initiated by government to update Agricultural techniques technically. These are as follows:
After initiation of Five, year plan, framing community has been ignored, there has been more stress laid on urbanization and industrialization. The growth rate of Agriculture is 2.5 % and overall is about 8% (2016).
Following are some government policy initiated for development of agriculture:
1)E-NAM-
National Agriculture Market (eNAM)
Objective:
2)Vision
To encourage consistency in agriculture marketing by streamlining of process across the integrated markets, reducing information asymmetry between buyers and sellers and promoting real time price discovery based on actual demand and supply.
3) National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)
National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) has been started for increasing agricultural productivity especially in rainfed areas focusing on integrated farming, soil health management water use efficiency, and synergizing resource conservation.
Schemes under NMSA
4)Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY)
Started by government of India for prioritization of water conservation and its management. It has been formulated with a view of expansion of coverage of irrigation 'Har Khet ko pani' and improving usage of water efficiently 'More crop per drop' in a focused manner with end to end solution on source creation, management, distribution, field application and extension activities.
Objective
● To achieve concurrence of investments in irrigation at the field level.
● To promote the recharge of aquifers and introduction of sustainable water conservation practices.
● To search the feasibility of reusing treated municipal wastewater for peri-urban agriculture.
● To bring greater private investments in irrigation.
5) Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)
Initiated to promote organic farming in the country, it was launched by the central government in 2015.
In this scheme, farmers were motivated to create groups and take to organic farming methods over large areas in the country.
The aim is to create 10,000 groups over the next three years and bring about five lakh acres of agricultural land. under organic farming.
6)RASHTRIYA KRISHI VIKAS YOJANA – RAFTAAR (RKVY-RAFTAAR)
Objective
● To make farming a profitable economic activity through strengthening the farmer’s efforts, promoting agribusiness entrepreneurship and risk mitigation.
● To empower youth through skill development, innovation and agro entrepreneurship, based business models.
7) Pradhann Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)
The Central Government notified a decision for expansion of benefit of ₹6,000 per year under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi
scheme to each and every farmer in the country, irrespective of the size of their landholding.
● Central sector scheme
Objective
○ To provide support income to all farmer's families having farming land.
○ To provide additional financial needs of the farmers in purchasing various inputs to ensure proper crop health and appropriate yields, commensurate with the anticipated farm income.
8)PM FASAL BIMA YOJANA
Objective
● To provide financial support and insurance coverage to the farmers in insect attacks, natural calamities, pests & diseases.
● Stabilization of income of farmers to ensure
their continuance in farming.
● To make sure flow of credit to the agriculture sector.
● All farmers including tenant farmers and sharecroppers growing notified crops in a notified area during the season who have insurable interest in the crop are eligible.
Salient features
● A uniform premium of 2% of crop produce for Kharif crops, 1.5% for Rabi crops and 5 % for annual commercial and horticultural crops.
● Half of the premium charged i.e 50% was paid by farmers and other half i.e remaining 50% was paid by central and state government.
● Post-harvest losses are also covered.
9)National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture
National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) has been formulated for promote agricultural productivity especially in rainfed areas seeking integrated farming, water use efficiency, soil health management and
synergizing resource conservation.
Objectives
● To reserve natural resources through appropriate soil and moisture conservation measures
● To adopt comprehensive soil health management practices based on so fertility maps, soil test, based application of macro & micro nutrients, judicious use of fertilizers etc.
●Proper utilization of water resources through efficient water management with expanded coverage for achieving ‘more crop per drop’.
● To form an effective, inter and intra Departmental/Ministerial coordination for accomplishing key deliverables of National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture under the aegis of National Action Plan on Climate
Change (NAPCC).
