Long term study of declining animal usage in Indian agriculture

Abstract

Traditionally in Indian agriculture draught animals enables farmers to increase agricultural production and improve the quality of life but in recent decades there has been a trend towards replacing draught animals with farm tractors. There is rapid shift from animal to tractor power but the information about actual declining over the period is very little known. This paper presented results of four phase survey conducted for draught animal and animal powered implement usage in four different locations of central India. The result shows a reduction in range of 76.1 % to 90.2 %, in draught animal population and 58 % to 91 % in animal powered implements. This reduction in animal and animal powered implement shows a huge transformation in Indian agriculture from traditional to machinery powered farming but on the other hand it shows changing perception of youth in agriculture.