Abstract
The study analyzed the determinants and impact of power tiller mechanization for land preparation in Bangladesh. The objectives were to assess the impact of power tiller use on productivity, input use, cost of production, technical efficiency, cropping intensity, cropping pattern, system yield, employment, income distribution and on backward linkages. Another objective was to measure the rate of power tiller adoption and determine the factors influencing the rate of its adoption. Data from 173 farmers and 60 landless households had been collected from three villages selected from three environments (unfavourable rice environment with rainfed situation, unfavourable rice environment with irrigated situation, and favourable rice environment with irrigated situation) using block-sampling technique. Adoption of power tiller (PT) varied among different rice environments in Bangladesh. The highest rate of power tiller adoption was in the favourable rice environment with irrigated situation (89%), followed by unfavourable rice environment with irrigated situation (73%), and unfavourable rice environment with rainfed situation (59%). Farms with no or inadequate draft animals used power tiller for land preparation. The larger number of animals in a farm lowered the rate of adopting power tillers. The increase in area under irrigation promoted the adoption of power tiller. The factor that hindered power tiller adoption was flooding depth above 100 cm. The factors that encouraged adoption of power tiller were involvement of family members in off/non farm activities and larger plot size. Power tiller had an impact on productivity and input use in Boro rice production. It had shifted the Boro rice production function of those who were using power tiller in combination with draft animals (PTDA). Technological change (neutral and non-neutral) mainly contributed to increasing gross returns of the power tiller-using farm. Power tiller reduced the total cost of production, increased net return, and decreased per unit cost of production in all rice environments studied. There was no difference in the technical efficiency between purely draft-animal (DA) using farmer and purely power tiller-using farmer. But there was difference in technical efficiency in the case of farmers who were using only draft-animals and those who were using power tiller in combination with draft animals. Power tiller had a positive impact on cropping intensity and cropping pattern in all rice environments. It also increased system productivity of a farm in all environments. The main component of difference in gross return between PT and DA farms was cropping intensity, though yield was also a main component between DA and PTDA farms in the unfavourable rice environment with irrigated situation. But yield effect was negative between PT and DA farms in the favourable rice environment with irrigated situation. Power tiller decreased family labor requirement in land preparation and consequently reduced total labor requirement in the farm in all the rice environments for all seasons in Bangladesh. Income per household per year was high in PTDA or PT farms, compared to DA farms in all environments. Per capita income was higher in PT or PTDA farms than in DA farms in all environments. There was an increase in per capita income in the DA, PTDA and PT farms including off/non farm income. Also, this increased income reduced inequality of the farmer in the DA, PTDA and PT farms, but this. decrease was higher in the PTDA and PT farms. The main backward linkage effects of PT mechanization involved driver, spare parts seller, owner of PT, fuel/lubricant sellers and mechanic, all of whom had increased income. Bangladesh is now progressing for manufacturing and supply of PT spare parts though the major component i.e. engine is still imported.