Abstract:
Ethiopian agriculture is dominated by a smallholder farming system, where the farmers rely
on traditional farming method, which is labor-intensive and prone to drudgery. Appropriate
mechanization should replace human labor in agriculture but, there is a low level of
mechanization in the country. Based on this, the study aimed to investigate agricultural
mechanization practices in smallholder farming systems in the Hitosa district of the Oromia
region. To achieve the objective of this study, different methods were used. A total of 104 (80
farmers and 24 agricultural experts) were selected using multistage sampling techniques.
Interviews, observations, and semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect data.
Linear regression was used to predict the effect of mechanization input on crop
production. Additionally, to suggest an appropriate mechanization scale, Agricultural
Mechanization Models (Model-1: traditional farming; Model-2: semi-mechanized farming
and Model-3 mechanized farming) were developed. In the models, the required and saved
hours, labor and crop productivity, and energy consumed via human, animal, and
mechanical power were compared. Finally, the mechanization status of the study area was
determined by the degree, level, and capacity of mechanization. The results indicated that
using mechanization input has a positive and significant effect on crop production. The level
of mechanization in the study area was 0.281 hp/ha and, to reach 1.5 hp/ha, 264 tractors
would be required. The aggregate degrees of mechanization carried out by motorized, human
and draught animal power for wheat were 0.263, 0.068, and 0.17 hp-hr/ha, respectively. The
work done by all the power sources, i.e., mechanization indices for wheat and barley were 52
and 64%, respectively. Among the three models, traditional farming was more labor intensive. Accordingly, mechanized farming saved more labor than traditional farming by
87.1%. Besides saving labor and time, mechanizing the farm make it economical and
productive. As a result, mechanized farming led to higher labor and crop productivity than
traditional farming by 96.2 and 40.9%, respectively. The consumed labor and draught animal
decreased when traditional farming was mechanized. Accordingly, mechanization capacity,
i.e., energy consumed by human labor in traditional farming was higher than mechanized
and semi-mechanized by 99.5 and 81.7%, respectively. Consequently, smallholder farmers
should practice agricultural mechanization to upgrade their farming systems to mechanized
farming. In general, agricultural mechanization practices in smallholder farming systems
have a significant contribution to productivity, living standards, and sustainable growth.
Therefore, the appropriate use of mechanization input for the smallholder farmers in the
study area is crucial. So, the government and different stakeholders should facilitate the
upgrading of the current traditional farming systems to mechanized farming systems