Chitra Das and S. B. Patil
Abstract
Farm mechanization is crucial for boosting land productivity by ensuring timely and precise agricultural operations, reducing crop loss, increasing labor efficiency, and enhancing the quality of farm work. However, small and marginal farmers often cannot afford the necessary equipment due to their poor economic conditions. Custom Hiring Centers (CHCs) provide a solution by offering affordable access to farm implements, addressing labor shortages, ensuring efficient operations, and increasing yields by sharing the cost of implements through ââ¬Ëinnovative arrangements. With respect to the results revealed regarding the extent of utilization patterns of farm machinery and implements at the customs hiring service center, results indicated more than one-third (37.85%) of the farmers belonged to the high utilization category, followed by the low (35.71%) and medium (26.43%) categories. Later a synoptic study in 2022, of the postpandemic scenario, showed changes in the attitude of farmers towards custom hiring in farm mechanization in Vijayapur district which indicated that after a midsize decrease in mechanized agricultural practices (during PANDEMIC-19), which consequently led to reduced farm implements accessibility, there has been improvements in the availability and usage of CHSCs by farmers for increasing their farm productivity.