Ⅰ. Introduction
Last two decades witnessed a rapid social transformation featured by urbanization along with industrialization. Spatial concentration of people and activities particularly in urban area has been the major feature in the course of t...
Ⅰ. Introduction
Last two decades witnessed a rapid social transformation featured by urbanization along with industrialization. Spatial concentration of people and activities particularly in urban area has been the major feature in the course of the development efforts. It gave rise to the problem of rural exodus of the young, which has led to the reduction of the quantity and the deterioration of the quality of the rural labour. Therefore, it has become a sine qua non to induce mechanization of farming activities not only to make up for shortage of labour but to increase the agricultural productivity.
The government came to enact a law in 1978 to promote farming mechanization. Acoording to this law, local governments are given commission to help organize and operate the mechanized farming units when necessary. It is only two years since the operation of the mechanized farming units began, it may be premature to assess the effect. However, it is an urgent need for the government and the people concerned to provide an efficient policy direction in order to support the operation of those units. To meet this need, this study aims to identify the problems arising from their operations with a view to provision of strategies for improvment of the operations and management of the new system.
Ⅱ. Type and Present Situation of the Mechanized Farming Units
Mechanized farming units are generally in operation with the aims of the reduction of farming labour cost, joint share of the purchasing expenses, collective acquirement of operation and managing techniques, joint performant of its related works, and diversification of risks in the use of machines. Therefore, the types of mechenized cooperative farming organizations may depending upon the motivation, pattern of operations, and the objective or the subject of the research. Based upon the subect, we can classify most of the units into two different kinds; one is the mechanized farming unit of the cooperative type, and the other of the village type. The former may be said to be led by the government, and the latter by the individual farm household.
In chonnam province, the mechanized farming units have different names which reflect similar ideas without any deliberate any deliberate attempt to distinguish between them. The terms such as comprehensive mechanized demonstration unit, mechanized farming center, saemaul farming unit, and saemaul quasi-farming unit refer to different size of the units in terms of the operation. As of 1981, there are seventy two units of farm machine work in the province; one unit of the cowprehensive farming machines for demonstration purpose, six mechanized farming centers, forty saemaul farming units, and twenty five saemaul quasi-farming units.
Ⅲ. Problems and Issues identified.
The problems and issues observed in the process of this study can be devided into two different kinds, one kind is related to the operation itself, and the other is related to the management of the organization. The problems arising from the operation are follows;
1. Difficulties related to the procedures for mortgage to secure the loan for the purchase of farming machines
2. Delayed supply of farming machines
3. Low rate of farmers' participation in the operation, because most units are in operation mainly by the youth club
4. Depository fee is calculated in general based on the customary or traditional levels. It has to be based upon the cost accounting.
The problems arising from the management of the units are as follows:
1. Frequent machine troubles due to unskilled operation techniques of those who are handling farming machines
2. Insufficient delivery systems to secure better access to repair services.
3. Difficulties related to obtaining parts of the farming machines imported from overseas
Ⅳ. Guidliness for the Promotion of Mechanized Farming Units
It is desirable to foster in prority the mechanized farming unit of village type which will bring up the client participation in the utilization of the system where by problems in operation and management might be solved with ease. The units of the cooperative type should perform the function of demonstration effect.
It is also desirable to trust the operation of the units to the control of Saemaul leaders. Saemaul leaders of adjacent villages may organize a commission, if necessary, to decide the ways to utilize the farming machines for the common interest.
In terms of adequate size of the unit, the composition of the farming machines should be based upon the combination of working efficiency of the machinery. The working capacity of each farming unit in the province has been calculated as 43.2 hectares of transplanting and 10.8 hectares of harvesting, given the present condition that each farming unit has two transplanters, one combiner(harvester), two tractors, etc.
Ⅴ. Conclusion
Policy Measures for Mechanized Farming Units are recommended as following.
1. The Government should enforce its policy to speed up the land consolidation to provide the favorable foundation for the mechanization of farming activities.
2. It is most recommendable to integrate supporting agencies in existance into one.
3. Government supports should be extended toward village type farming units focussing on those activities as transplanting and harvesting. Full-utilization of the existing farming machinery owned by individual farm household will be complementary
4. It is necessary to introduce a sort of insurance system against the crop damage in order to give favorable incentives to the probable trusters of farming activities. If the landholders thought it a dangerous venture to trust farming activities to the mechanized farming unit, the process of farming mechanization would be delayed.