Improved Tools and Scope for their Custom Hiring in Malwa Region - A Case Study

Traditionally, family labour has been an important input in farming. Many a times, a single farm family's financial resources are too meager to opt for mechanized farming or tube well irrigation or engage a large labour force at the time of need. This brought in the concept of custom hiring, which permits sharing of resources at a much reduced cost than if all the resources were to be owned by a single farm family. The farm size, availability of labour and custom services, crop selection and cultural practices, all affectthe selection of an optimum equipment set and ultimately the number of equipment necessary for farming. Under custom hiring, there is a scope for providing better implements other than those owned by individual farmers. This paper discusses certain issues of custom hiring of agricultural implements in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh.