Factors affecting agricultural mechanization-a case study from Aligarh Division of Uttar Pradesh

Mechanization of agriculture is an essential input to the modern agriculture. It enhances productivity, besides reducing human drudgery and cost of cultivation and improves utilization effciencies of other inputs. The effect of different factors on mechanization was assessed through survey study in Aligarh, Etah and Hathras districts of Uttar Pradesh. A total of 240 respondents across different categories of land holding from twelve blocks of Aligarh division were selected through stratifed simple random sampling without replacement (SRSWOR). Custom hiring service (CHS) availability and education of farmers positively infuenced mechanization index with a Pearson’s correlation coeffcient of 0.84 and 0.81 for land holding and annual income, respectively and Kandal’s tau of 0.63 and 0.54 for CHS availability and education, respectively. Family labour availability was observed to negatively infuence the mechanization with Pearson’s correlation coeffcient of (-) 0.44. Land holding was alone responsible for 47% variation in mechanization index. The factors land holding (LH), annual income (AI) and family labour (FL) had fairly high explanatory power and explained nearly 80 % of variation in the Mechanization Index.