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The per capita income of those involved in agriculture is only about one-third of that of the average Indian, highlighting a significant income disparity. Moreover, within the agricultural sector, landholding inequality further exacerbates poverty, with 85% of small and marginal farmers cultivating only 45% of the total agricultural area. This makes small and marginal farms the country’s poverty hotspots. Therefore, any efforts aimed at inclusive growth must prioritize income enhancement for these vulnerable farmers. The Government of India’s (GoI) goal to double farmers’ incomes underscores the need to address these disparities. With nearly half of the population reliant on agriculture, doubling farmers’ incomes could provide a sense of income security, reduce agrarian distress, and promote farmers’ welfare. However, it has been observed that larger farmers achieve income growth more quickly than small and marginal farmers. Given that 85% of operational holdings in India belong to small and marginal farmers, there is an urgent need to focus on their income growth in real terms. Strong measures are essential to harness all potential sources of growth, both within and outside the agricultural sector. Mechanization options such as direct sowing, minimum/reduced tillage, land leveling, and crop residue retention can drive sustainable economic growth. The proposed technology, developed specifically for small and marginal farmers, aims to address these challenges. By implementing this technology, we anticipate increased farm mechanization and yield improvements, which will directly impact farmers' incomes. Thus, the overarching objective of this project is the "Demonstration and implementation of a compact utility tractor for small and marginal farmers," providing a direct and sustainable solution to enhance agricultural productivity and income

Marginal and small farmers comprise over 80% of all cultivators in India. These farmers mostly depend on bullock driven farming. Today, the real situation is that the bullocks are inefficient and are burden on the economy. In fact, they are very good sources of power for agriculture but with the advent of fossil fuels and mechanization in agriculture their use has been dwindling. Again, their growing capital cost, operational cost and maintenance cost poses burden on animal based farmers and usher them to negative monthly savings. Today extreme economic conditions, poor returns and scarcity of agricultural labours forcing small and marginal farmers to either leave farming or to commit suicide. At present, power tiller and tractors are the alternative to the bullock driven plough. Power tiller is although cheaper (1.2- 2.0 Lakhs) but driving it is a cumbersome cum laborious task and is not useful in non- agricultural activities. Whereas, available tractors may be utilized in various non-agricultural activities like transportation, running a pump using PTO, drive to stationery machinery like thresher etc, apart from conventional agricultural applications but are not suitable for small farms and are very costly. Considering all these points, a small, compact and easily maneuverable tractor of low hp range has been developed at CSIR-CMERI, Durgapur, to meet the requirement of the small farmers. The above tractor has been tested successfully at the Institute and now it’s time to reach this developed technology to the end user, i.e. farmers. Hence, based on the above cited facts and figures, there is a need or requirement to popularize this tractor amongst the small and marginal farmer’s community of our country. Thus, under this project it has been decided to arrange numbers of demonstration and thereby successful implementation of the technology. For this work a consortium will be made taking Panchayat Pradhans of different villages, BDO and District Agricultural Officer from selected districts of West Bengal and neighbouring states. There is plan to demonstrate one tractor under each panchayat for arrangement of frontline demonstration to the small and marginal farmers. The implementation of this technology will definitely increase the farm mechanization level in rural areas. This will in turn increase the yield, timeliness of operation can be maintained and finally income will be increased. By this way the farmers will be beneficial as well as the developed technology will reach to the end user’s successfully

a) Implementation of technology

b) Creation of consortium

c) Technology dissemination

The proposed project is expected to deliver substantial societal benefits, particularly to small and marginal farmers. By addressing key challenges they face, such as limited access to resources, technology, or markets, the project will enhance their agricultural productivity and income. The initiative could lead to increased crop yields, reduced input costs, and better market linkages, resulting in improved livelihoods. Furthermore, the project is anticipated to contribute to food security in rural areas, support sustainable agricultural practices, and foster a more resilient farming community. These outcomes will have long-term positive effects, not only for the farmers themselves but for the broader economy and society as well.