Basic Knowledge in Agriculture #46

Greetings friends, I hope you are all fine as I am. I appreciate @hive-118902 for organising this contest. Agriculture is as old as human beings and having adequate knowledge of it goes a long way to help us have successful farming systems and food security.

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Define Mechanised Farming in your own Words

Mechanised farming can be defined as the application or employment of modern technology and gadgets (like tractors, sprayers, planters, combine harvesters, chemical etc) to replace the local or traditional farming activities. This modern technology helps to reduce physical effort and increase crop yield.

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Discuss the Importance of Mechanised Farming
Mechanised farming is very important in the 21st century. Some of these are:

• It saves time: Machines take just a little time to carry out tedious or strenuous tasks like tilling the ground, weeding, etc, which traditionally consume time.
• There is little or no energy applied in performing the farming task, like the traditional farming system, where people use their energy for every task.
• It boosts productivity by allowing farmers to cultivate a larger piece of land, which ordinarily they can not farm manually or using traditional methods, thereby increasing the output.
• It improves crop quality: Machines aid in reducing waste and crop damage through the exact application of fertiliser, pesticide, seed, etc, which is healthy for crops.

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Discuss the Advantages and Disadvantages of Mechanised Farming

Mechanised system of farming has its own advantages and disadvantages which are:

Advantages

• Large-scale farming: The mechanised system of farming gives room for large-scale farming. This is because virtually every activity on the farm is done with the aid of a machine

• It heightens productivity: The use of machines and chemical inputs speeds up the farming activity, the growth of the crops and improves the soil fertility for maximum output.

• Saves time: The use of machines in tilling the ground, planting, application of fertiliser and pesticide, and harvesting, etc, makes the farming activity easier and faster. Thereby saving a lot of time.

• Reduce hazard and wastage: The machines in mechanised farming reduce wastage and hazards because they are programmed with greater precision.

• Processing and storage of farm produce: The use of machinery and chemicals greatly helps in the processing of the grain or farm produce and also helps in storing this grain for a long period of time without getting damaged or spoiled.

Disadvantage

• It's expensive: The purchase and maintenance of the farming machinery, or hiring it, is so expensive that the common man can not afford it.

• It needs trained and skilled labour: The operation or usage of the machinery needs trained and skilled labour for effectiveness to maximise output and these skilled workers may not be available at a point.

• Job displacement: The use of machines can lead to joblessness or unemployment for men and women who earn their living working manually in various people's farms.

• Reliance on chemical and fertiliser: The dependence on chemicals to improve crop yield over time poses a threat to human health. It also contributes to pollution and climate change.

• Environmental degradation: The constant use of heavy machinery can degrade soil structure by making it lose its fertility and also leads to or causes soil erosion.

Conclusion
I appreciate you for reading my article to this point. I invite @joymm, @jeromy25, @sterii and @rumaisha to also join the contest. Thank you.

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