Mechanization growth and declining farm size in South Asia: Exploring the role of biological technologies in Nepal Terai

The agricultural sector in developing countries including those in South Asia, like Nepal, faces dual challenges of the persistent dominance of smallholder-based farming, and at the same time, rising labor costs due partly to growing non-farm sectors. The underlying factors that lead to the co-exist...

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Autores principales: Takeshima, Hiroyuki, Liu, Yanyan
Formato: Brief
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2019
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/145415
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author Takeshima, Hiroyuki
Liu, Yanyan
author_browse Liu, Yanyan
Takeshima, Hiroyuki
author_facet Takeshima, Hiroyuki
Liu, Yanyan
author_sort Takeshima, Hiroyuki
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The agricultural sector in developing countries including those in South Asia, like Nepal, faces dual challenges of the persistent dominance of smallholder-based farming, and at the same time, rising labor costs due partly to growing non-farm sectors. The underlying factors that lead to the co-existence of these seemingly conflicting patterns are not yet clear. However, an important consequence is that inclusive agricultural transformation requires increased agricultural capital use like machines among these smallholders that remain in the agricultural sector. Studying the experiences in lowland Nepal (Terai zone) which has seen significant growth in tractor use since the mid-90s, despite the continuous decrease in average farm size, offers useful insights into what induce the adoptions of mechanization among smallholders who naturally lack the scope for exploiting the scale economies due to complementarity between machine and land. We test the hypotheses that high-yielding technologies, which potentially raise returns to more intensive farm power use, are important drivers of adoptions of agricultural mechanization among smallholders. We do so by using two-rounds of Agricultural Census data in Nepal, as well as Nepal Living Standard Survey (NLSS), and indicators of agroclimatic similarity with plant-breeding locations within Nepal.
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spelling CGSpace1454152025-11-06T05:48:32Z Mechanization growth and declining farm size in South Asia: Exploring the role of biological technologies in Nepal Terai Takeshima, Hiroyuki Liu, Yanyan tractors agroclimatic zones equipment technology agricultural mechanization farm size The agricultural sector in developing countries including those in South Asia, like Nepal, faces dual challenges of the persistent dominance of smallholder-based farming, and at the same time, rising labor costs due partly to growing non-farm sectors. The underlying factors that lead to the co-existence of these seemingly conflicting patterns are not yet clear. However, an important consequence is that inclusive agricultural transformation requires increased agricultural capital use like machines among these smallholders that remain in the agricultural sector. Studying the experiences in lowland Nepal (Terai zone) which has seen significant growth in tractor use since the mid-90s, despite the continuous decrease in average farm size, offers useful insights into what induce the adoptions of mechanization among smallholders who naturally lack the scope for exploiting the scale economies due to complementarity between machine and land. We test the hypotheses that high-yielding technologies, which potentially raise returns to more intensive farm power use, are important drivers of adoptions of agricultural mechanization among smallholders. We do so by using two-rounds of Agricultural Census data in Nepal, as well as Nepal Living Standard Survey (NLSS), and indicators of agroclimatic similarity with plant-breeding locations within Nepal. 2019-08-31 2024-06-21T09:04:28Z 2024-06-21T09:04:28Z Brief https://hdl.handle.net/10568/145415 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Takeshima, Hiroyuki; and Liu, Yanyan. 2019. Mechanization growth and declining farm size in South Asia: Exploring the role of biological technologies in Nepal Terai. Project Note 03. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://hdl.handle.net/10568/145415
spellingShingle tractors
agroclimatic zones
equipment
technology
agricultural mechanization
farm size
Takeshima, Hiroyuki
Liu, Yanyan
Mechanization growth and declining farm size in South Asia: Exploring the role of biological technologies in Nepal Terai
title Mechanization growth and declining farm size in South Asia: Exploring the role of biological technologies in Nepal Terai
title_full Mechanization growth and declining farm size in South Asia: Exploring the role of biological technologies in Nepal Terai
title_fullStr Mechanization growth and declining farm size in South Asia: Exploring the role of biological technologies in Nepal Terai
title_full_unstemmed Mechanization growth and declining farm size in South Asia: Exploring the role of biological technologies in Nepal Terai
title_short Mechanization growth and declining farm size in South Asia: Exploring the role of biological technologies in Nepal Terai
title_sort mechanization growth and declining farm size in south asia exploring the role of biological technologies in nepal terai
topic tractors
agroclimatic zones
equipment
technology
agricultural mechanization
farm size
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/145415
work_keys_str_mv AT takeshimahiroyuki mechanizationgrowthanddecliningfarmsizeinsouthasiaexploringtheroleofbiologicaltechnologiesinnepalterai
AT liuyanyan mechanizationgrowthanddecliningfarmsizeinsouthasiaexploringtheroleofbiologicaltechnologiesinnepalterai