Journal of Global Resources

Volume 5
July 2017
ISSN: 2395-3160 (Print), 2455-2445 (Online)

Page 116-125

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ROLE OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY TO INCREASE CROP PRODUCTION IN
ALIGARH DISTRICT-A CASE STUDY OF TAPPAL BLOCK
Shamsul Haque Siddiqui1 and Rajni Sharma2
1

Senior Professor & Coordinator DRS-III,
Department of Geography, AMU, Aligarh, India
Email: Siddiquish2012@rediffmail.com
2

Research Scholar, Department of Geography, AMU, Aligarh, India

Abstract: The main objective of this paper is to assess the use of agricultural technology toincrease crop production in Tappal block of Aligarh district. A structured schedule wasdesigned based on existing literature and used as an instrument for data collection. A total
number of 146 respondents were selected adhering to the principle of purposive random
sampling for the collection of data. Collected data had been analyzed using standard
statistical methods and final conclusion was drawn based on it. The study reveals that theuses of modern machineries have been increased in the study area. As a result the
production of crops has also increased.
Key words: Agricultural Technology, Crop Production.
Introduction
Agriculture needs technology infusion to accelerate the production so that food is accessible
to the common man. During the green revolution up to now, farm technology has changed at
a very rapid rate and has given fruitful results and these changes are not hidden in ourcountry. Agricultural development in India, as in other developing countries, can serve as
catalyst for rapid growth of the whole economy. Intensification of agriculture in India is
necessary, to feed large and fast growing population of the country. A rapid growth inagricultural sector is essential not only to achieve self-reliance at national level, but also tomaintain the house hold food security and most important is that to bring about equity in
distribution of income and wealth. It requires raising both productivity in agricultural sector
which are economically viable, socially and environmentally sustainable.
Technology has a great impact on all aspects of economic life. It is inevitable andessential for accelerating development of under-developed countries. In fact, suitable
technology provides an important weapon in the war against poverty by making better use ofavailable resources. This ultimately brings about prosperity for the entire population. In a nutshell, technology promotes efficiency and satisfies human wants from scarce resources.
Technology is the body of knowledge, or the know-how, since the emergence of Green
Revolution the change that took place in utilizing technical knowledge is known astechnological change. It is concerned with a shift in production function which indicates thetechnical relations between output and inputs. In other words, it is the application of scientificdiscovery of production and distribution which creates new products, new processes ofmanufacture and changes in the methods of distribution. Technological change provides
greater output from resources of land, labour and capital. In this way technology increases
the production with lower cost or better quality product for the same cost. Technology can be
defined in two senses. In its narrow sense, it deals with equipment and machines which are116

deployed in production. In other words, it involves reproducible tangible wealth which can beused a number of times. In a broader sense, technology includes not only reproducible
tangible wealth but also body of the knowledge, skills, ideas that help the developmental use
of such machines and equipment. In the context of under-developed agriculture, this broad
definition is of great significance.
In short, technological change is expressed by capital, entrepreneurial skill, marginalland technical skill, a trained labour force and better utilization of labour, equipment andmaterials, improvement in the quality of resources, products and methods of production andnationalization of production process. Technological change in agriculture comprises of
introduction of high yielding variety of seeds, fertilizers, plant protection measures andirrigation. These changes in agricultural sector enhance the productivity per unit of land andbring about rapid increase in production. Technological change in agriculture can beclassified into two (i) Land-augmenting technical change, (ii) Labour-augmenting technicalchange. Land-augmenting technical change involves change in biological techniques in crop
production. It includes mainly HYV of seeds fertilizers, irrigation and plant protection
measures. Indian agriculture has witnessed significant changes in production technology
through the introduction of high yielding varieties of crops, especially wheat and intensive
application of complementary modern inputs in farming. The new momentum created bymodern seeds and fertilizers was considered the initiation of Green Revolution.
Consequently, the consumption of several agro-inputs like pesticides, growths regulating
compounds and weedicides have increased, besides the fertilizers all over the country. It is
accepted that consequent to the adoption of modern technology the farm production has
increased considerably.
Technology is assumed to mean a new, scientifically derived, often complex input
supplied to farmers by organizations with deep technical expertise. Neill and Lee point out
that the majority of existing literature on agricultural technology adoption is focused on
Green Revolution (GR) technologies such as irrigation, fertilizer use, and the adoption
patterns of high-yield variety (HYV) seeds. Due to the development process of HYV and the
inputs required to make them productive, studies examining HYV adoption look at very
advanced forms of technology; HYV seeds are often the product of intensive laboratory
research, and when they are targeted to farmers they are bundled with other technology
inputs such as chemical fertilizers, pesticides and extensive irrigation because these arenecessary for the HYV seeds to perform as designed. Because so many studies ofagricultural technology adoption and diffusion focus on HYV and other Green Revolution
inputs, their findings are concentrated on a “high-tech” definition of agricultural technology.
Objectives
The present study has the following objective:
1. To assess socio-economical background of the farmers
2. To show the use of various agricultural machineries in the study area
3. To show the various sources of irrigation.
Database and Methodology
The present study is entirely based on primary sources of data. The primary data has beenobtained by conducting the fieldwork in Takipur and Hetalpur village of Tappal block basedon questions and personal interview. For conducting primary survey, the sample derived forthe study is based on purposive random sampling technique. A total number of 146
117

respondents were interviewed. Simple percentage method has been used for processing thedata. Microsoft excel also used for making charts and diagram.
Study Area
Aligarh district is located in the western part of Uttar Pradesh. It lies between latitudes 27˚34’
N and 28˚11’ N and between longitudes 77˚29’ E and 78˚38’ E. The total geographical areaof the district is 3648.31 square kilometres. From the administrative point of view, the Aligarh
district has been divided into twelve blocks namely, Tappal, Khair, Chandaus, Jawan, Lodha,
Dhanipur, Akrabad, Gonda, Iglas, Atrouli, Bijouli and Gangiri which include 1170 inhabitedvillages. Tappal is a Block placed in Aligarh district in Uttar Pradesh. The block has 91
villages and there are total 32370 houses in this block. The population of this block is
194252 (2011 census). Out of this, 103570 are males and 90682 are females. The numberof working people of Tappal block is 61846 whereas 132406 are non-working. Out of 61846
working persons 23529 peoples are totally dependent on agriculture.
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77 4 5'RESULT AND ANALYSISAge Composition of the Respondents
In the process of overall development in general and agricultural development in population,
the age compositions of respondents play a significant role in adoption of new ideas andpractices in the field of agriculture. It has been observed that the younger generation is notinterested in occupation of agriculture. The reason is that hard work is required in agriculture
and today’s young do not want to work hard.
Table 1: Age Composition of the Respondents
Age Group
18-25
25-35
35-50
Above 50
Total

No of Respondents
20
28
56
42
146

Source: Field Survey

118

Percentage
13.70
19.18
38.36
28.77
100.00With this view, all the respondents have been divided into four categories on thebasis of their ages. The data reveals that only 13.70 percent of the total respondents areyoung age group. However the above analysis gives interesting fact that the middle age andold age respondents actively participate in agriculture rather than younger. The age groupconsisting 35-50 years accounts 38.36 percent respondents whereas above 50 years age
group constitutes 28.77 percent respondents. Most of the farmers complain that theirchildren do not work in field. It is crucial that the younger people are not interested to takeagriculture as a main occupation; therefore they are not actively participated in agricultural
practices.
Educational Status of the Respondents:
Table 2 indicates that 9.59 percent are illiterate respondents while rest 90.41 percent are
literates. Out of total 146 respondents, 12 respondents (8.22 percent) and 16 respondents(10.96 percent) have primary and upper primary level education respectively. About 59
percent respondents have secondary level of education and only 1.37 percent respondents
have education up to graduates and postgraduates level. It has been observed that
educational institutions have played great impact on literacy.
Table 2: Educational Status of the Respondents
Educational Status
Illiterate
Primary
Upper Primary
Secondary
Senior Secondary
Graduate
Post Graduate
Total

No. of Respondents
14
12
16
38
48
16
2
146

Percentage
9.59
8.22
10.96
26.03
32.88
10.95
1.37
100.00Source: Field Survey
Operational Size of Landholdings
The operational land holding is defined as all land either owned or self-operated and leasedout from others for cultivation. Due to increasing pressure of population on land, the land isfragmented into small pieces of land. Pal (1992) analyzed that use of fertilizers andagricultural implements is highly depend upon size of land holding. The large farmers havecapacity to take risk in adopting any new technology and they have sufficient money toinvest in agricultural fields.
Table 3: Land Holdings of the Respondents
Land Holdings
Marginal (<1 Ha.)
Small (1-2 Ha.)
Semi-Medium (2-4 Ha.)
Medium (4-10 Ha.)
Large (>10 Ha.)Total

No. of Respondents
38
40
42
24
2
146

Percentage
26.03
27.40
28.77
16.44
1.37
100.00Source: Field Survey
This table shows that out of 146 respondents, only 2 respondents (1.37 percent)have operational land holdings more than 10 hectares. About 16.44 percent respondents
belonged to medium size of land holdings of total land holdings and about 28.77 percent of119respondents fall in the category of semi-medium. The small size of land holdings covered
27.40 percent to the respondents and 26.03 percent have marginal size of land holdings.
The small and marginal farmers are unable to adopt effective utilization of agricultural
practices and have little agricultural implements. The small and marginal farmers get nobenefits from agricultural policies.
Area under Major Crops
There are two main agricultural season; Kharif and Rabi. The Kharif season usually begins
in mid-June with the outbreak of the monsoon, while the Rabi season starts in the end of
October or early November when the monsoon has receded. The crops of Kharif season arethose which need a high temperature and a plentiful supply of water while the Rabi crops
require cool weather and moderate supply of water. The major Kharif crops of the study
region are Rice, Millet, Maize, Cotton, Pulses (Moong, Urad and Arhar) and Sugarcane. The
Rabi crops of study area are Wheat, Barley, Mustard, Potato, Pulses (Masur and Pea) and
Vegetables.
Table 4: Percentage of area under Major Crops to GCA
Crops
Wheat
Rice
MilletMustard
CottonMoong
Arhar
Sugarcane
Vegetables
OthersPercentage of Area to GCA
77.73
59.60
15.72
8.96
1.40
4.08
1.88
2.80
0.79
3.36

Source: Field Survey
Wheat and Rice is the two most important staple crop of Tappal block. Wheat
occupied highest area i.e. 77.73 percent to total gross cropped area. Now a day, the farmer
is crazy for paddy cultivation in all villages of district because the govt. provided good pricefor rice. After getting good price of rice, the farmers are promoted to cultivate rice, whether
the soil is suitable or not, irrigation facilities are good or not for its cultivation. Rice occupies
59.60 percent area to gross cropped area in selected villages as a whole. The total area
under millet is 15.72 percent to Gross Cropped area. Mustard is also an important cropgrown in Rabi season occupied an area of 8.97 percent to total gross cropped area.
Sugarcane is an annual crop but it is sowing in Kharif season so it comes under Kharif
crops. It covers only 0.79 percent area in selected villages. Now the farmers do not want tocultivate the sugarcane. The first reason behind it, the farmers do not get timely payment for
their crops. They are awaited sometimes for one year or more. Secondly, the govt. does notgive good price for sugarcane. Therefore the farmers get low return for their crops. Every
farmer cultivates fodder in one or two bigha of land for feeding the animals.
Table 5: Yield of Major Crops
Crops
Wheat
Rice
Millet
Maize
MustardPotatoPulsesYield (quintal/ha.)
38.85
45.78
30.00
24.56
24.25
280
12.50
120

Use of Agricultural Implements and Machineries
In the field of agriculture, the farmers are moving gradually towards the adoption of
innovation of agriculture. Efforts have been made to increase the productivity throughapplication of technology and new innovation. Black (1945) has stated that “the process ofinnovation is particularly interesting to observe in agriculture because of its gradualness.”
Table 6 shows that about 71.92 percent farming is done by tractors. It is evident from tablethat with 55.48 percent of respondents use harrows, 71.92 percent cultivators, 33.56 percent
threshers, 8.22 rotavators, 71.92 percent tillers, 78.08 sprayers, and 32.19 percent sowing
machines. Farm implements and machinery increase resource use efficiency andproductivity.
Table 6: Use of Agricultural Implements and Machineries
Implements

No. of Farmers

TractorHarrow
Cultivator

105
81
105

Percentage
71.92
55.48
71.92

Thresher

49

33.56

Rotavator

12

8.22

Tillers

105

71.92

Sprayers

114

78.08

Sowing Machine

47

32.19

Wooden Plough

6

4.11

Source: Field Survey
Sources of Irrigation
Irrigation is the most crucial component of agricultural development. The use of modern
agricultural technology (High Yielding Varieties of seeds, fertilizers) for agricultural growth toincrease in crop yield and cropping intensity depends critically on irrigation. Irrigation
facilities are necessary for adoption of double and multiple cropping by the farmers. Phukan(1972) and Deshpande (1986) provided statistical evidence confirming positive contributionof irrigation towards increasing cropping intensity. The rainfall is uneven distributed in a year
and is usually concentrated in the summer month of July to September. Therefore,
development of irrigation facilities is required. Rice and wheat require proper irrigation duringwhole period. Each crop also requires proper irrigation for higher yield except millet. If rainfall
occurs then there is no requirement of irrigation in millet.
Table 7: Different Sources of Irrigation used by the Respondents
Sources
PumpsetTube Wells

Type
Own
Hired
Own
Hired
Govt.

No. of Farmers
117
29
103
20
25

Percentage
80.14
19.86
70.55
13.70
17.12

Source: Field Survey
Table 7 and 8 shows distribution of agricultural sources and area under different
sources of irrigation in selected villages. It reveals that private tube wells are main source of
irrigation in region. It shares 70.55 percent own tube wells and 30.82 percent have hired andgovt. tube wells together. During the field survey, it has been found that marginal and small
farmers have not their own source of irrigation and they use hiring water for irrigation from121

private tube-wells and pump-sets. Large, medium and some semi medium farmers havetheir own tube-wells and pump-sets.
Table 8: Area under Different Sources of Irrigation
Sources

Type
Own
Hired
Own
Hired
Govt.

PumpsetTube Wells

Area in Percent
88.03
11.97
87.18
5.42
7.4

Source: Field Survey
Use of Cooperative Societies & Kisan Credit Card
Capital is essential for improving agriculture conditions. This facility is provided by credit
institutions. Cooperative societies and Kisan Credit Card are two essential ways of financial
support to farmers. Cooperative societies supply various services to their members with
inputs for agricultural production including seeds, fertilizers and agricultural machineries.
According to Omotesho (2008), “Cooperative society is one of the most effective vehicles for
efficient mobilization of production resources and accelerated agricultural development.”
Kisan Credit Card (KCC) is a scheme which provides affordable credit to farmers. This
scheme is initiated in India during the year 1998-99 with the help of Reserve Bank of India(RBI) and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for helping thefarmers by providing timely and adequate credit. It is observed during field survey thatcooperative societies are not working properly. Seeds, fertilizers and other services are notsupplied by cooperative societies at time. It is evident from the Table 9 that only 38.36

percent of the total respondents using services from cooperative societies whereas
52.74 percent respondents have Kisan Credit Card. It is found that the farmers, whohave more than 2 acre land, they have only Kisan Credit Card. It is also observedthat most of the farmers do not pay crop loans at stipulated time; therefore, Kisan
Credit Card of the farmers has been cancelled.
Table 9: Use of Cooperative Societies & Kisan Credit Card
Cooperative Societies
Kisan Credit Card

Type
Yes
No
Yes
No

No. of Farmers
56
90
77
69

Source: Field Survey

122

Percentage
38.36
61.64
52.74
47.26

Educational Status of the Respondents

Percentage

Percentage

Age Composition of the
Respondents

Fig.1

Fig.2

Size of Land Holdings

Area in Hectares

Marginal
Small
Semi-Medium
MediumPercentage of area under major
Crops

Large

Fig.3

Fig.4
Use of Agricultural Implements
and Machineries
Percentage

Yield of major crops (quintal/ha.)

Wheat

Rice

Millet

Maize

MustardPotato Pulses

Fig.5

Fig.6

Area in Percent

Percentage

Percentage of Area under Different
Sources of Irrigation

Use of Cooperative Societies &Kisan Credit Card

Percentage

Fig.7

Yes
No
Cooperative
Societies
38.36 61.64

Fig.8
123

Yes
No
Kisan Credit
Card52.74 47.26

Conclusions and Suggestions
The above analysis revealed that young and highly educated people are not interested inagriculture occupation. It is also clear from the field survey that size of land holdings is small
and fragmented. Only 1.3 percent size of land holdings are more than 10 hectares. On thecontrary to this, 27.40 percent respondents have small size of land holdings which are highin all size of land holdings. It is seen that small and marginal farmers are unable to adopt
effective utilization of agricultural practices as comparison to large farmers.

The study point out that cropping pattern is influenced by a number of factors likesize of land holdings, irrigation facilities, market distance, soil quality and price. Wheat
shares 77.75 percent area and it is cultivated by all size of farmers. In Rabi season, only
large farmers grow other crops with wheat whereas small and marginal farmers cultivate
only wheat crop for their survival. It is analyzed that rice is main crop because of availabilityof canal water for irrigation. It is seen that only large, medium and semi-medium farmers
cultivate rice with the help of tube-well irrigation in those areas where canals irrigation is
inaccessible because they can afford the charges for tube-well irrigation. Potato cultivation is
influenced by price and soil quality. It is increasing because of good price. Vegetable farming
is determined by market distance, accessibility and connectivity from the village. Vegetable
farming occupies in those villages which are located near to city or town and vegetablemandies are located near to villages with good accessibility. Maize and Pulses share low
area due to damage of crops by wild animals.
Traditional method of ploughing by wooden plough is almost finished. It is observedthat large, medium and semi-medium farmers have their own agricultural implements andsources of irrigation whereas small and marginal farmers hired from owners on rent. Only
large farmers have modern agricultural inputs like, tractor, thresher, rotavator etc. It is seenthat farmers have adopted mechanized farming at great level but they are not aware of somescientific use of these machineries. The farmers have no idea of soil testing, seed treatment
before sowing and line sowing of seeds.
Special attention should be paid for canal irrigation because canals are dried in allseasons except rainy season. For managing water at all time, rain water harvestingprocedure should be adopted. At least, a local body village information system should beestablished at village level which provides update, accurate, timely data and information to
the farmers after every cropping season. Therefore, it will be helpful for the farmers tocultivate crops in different cropping season. Agricultural scientist should be appointed atvillage level for giving the proper guidance to farmers. It has been observed that instead ofusing Hybrid seeds, farmers prefer local varieties of seeds because hybrid seeds cannot beagain sown in field and it will be useless for next crop. Therefore, agricultural scientist should
develop such type of hybrid seeds that can be used for next two or three crops. Foundation
seeds should provide to farmers instead of certified seeds. It is also suggested that fertilizers
and seeds should be given to farmers at proper time. Modern technology requires adequate
knowledge. It is remarked that famers are not aware of agricultural techniques and they havepoor skill to handle these machineries. Therefore, training should be provided to the farmers
for using these machineries. Crop rotation is also an essential requirement for improving
crop yield, which improves soil fertility also. It is clear after the field survey that about 54
percent farmers belong to small and marginal farmers. Therefore, they are the backbone of124economy. These farmers do not possess adequate means to improve their method of
cultivation. Therefore, policies should be made for small and marginal farmers.
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