Technology Adoption and Agricultural Production : Selected Farms in Tamilnadu, India

Indian agriculture is undoubtedly characterized by a very wide diversity in technology employed and there are still past areas covered by traditional agricultural practices with single cropping pattern. Similarly, there are relatively modern and mechanized operations in many states of the country, which also rely on substantial use of fertilizers, pesticides and vast quantities of water. It is seen that the Green revolution took place in Indian agriculture in 1966 made a breakthrough in the practices of agriculture. It made a noticeable shift from area expansion to yield improvement, wherever possible, in order to the meet the growing demand for agricultural products, particularly food. As a consequence of this change, the energy consumption in agricultural sector has increased the size of output. It is pertinent to note that the structure of energy consumption has also changed substantially with a huge shift from animal and human labour towards tractor for farming operations, and electricity and diesel are largely used for groundwater irrigation.