Farm Mechanization Strategy for Promotion of Improved Equipment Under Animal Based Farming in Nagaland-India

Agriculture is the most important economic activity in Nagaland. Principal crops include rice, corn, millets, pulses, tobacco, oilseeds and sugarcane. It provides livelihood to around 70% population. The total cultivated area of state includes 70% hill and 30% plain region. It has total cultivable are of 721,924 hectares of which 70% is in the hilly region up to 2,500 meters and the rest 30% in the foot hills symbolizing as the rice bowl of the state. Rice is the staple food for most of the people and occupies about 70% of the total cultivated area contributing to about 75% of total food grain output in the state. About 90% land belongs to individuals and the land is divided into small sizes and scattered in different locations. The total livestock were 1.41 million in the Nagaland state of country. The package of improved equipment can reduce the human drudgery and there will be savings of input under animal based farming system both under terrace farming and jhum cultivation. The cost of package for jhum cultivation was worked out as $291.059. Under terrace farming without rice equipment the package cost was worked out as $783.689 under animal based farming in hills in Nagaland. The equipment package for rainfed rice cultivation in hills was estimated as $1,165.227. The requirement of total packages (14,256 no.) will cost $9.99 million for mechanizing 5% cultivated area in the hill state under animal based farming system through selective mechanization. The total benefits from improved equipment package in mechanizing 5% of cultivated area were estimated as $6.763 million.