Climate-Smart Technology Based Farm Mechanization for Enhanced Input Use Efciency

Abstract

Farm mechanization is a basic need in extensive agriculture production system. It plays a key role in timeliness of farm operations, quality of work and enhanced agricultural production. The agricultural production is observing erratic yield variations and unpredicted negative impacts in the wake of climate changes globally. In view of present challenges throughout the production system, the future growth has to come from the acceleration in the rate of farm mechanization. The farm mechanization level in India is 40 % with average 2.24 kW/ha farm power availability. On the other hand, Punjab has reached 4.4 kW/ha whereas in the hills of Uttarakhand, it is 1.05 kW/ha. The present mechanization is distinctly different throughout the country and still low to cope up with climatic variations in the agricultural sector as well as to enhance input use efciency of natural resources. In addition to this, the crop residue is largely responsible for the degradation of climate during the peak season of wheat sowing due to the burning of crop residue. This chapter encapsules overall mechanization practices and the potential of some of the frontier farm machinery used in the various farm operations right from seedbed preparation to threshing and processing through enhanced input use efciency for attaining climate-smart agriculture. Also, it discusses the possible strategies to increase climate-smart farm mechanization in the area of agricultural production system in every possible way.