Crop Diversification in the Asia-Pacific region - United Nations in ...

for a high proportion of the cost of production. For instance in Sri Lanka, approximately 50percent of the total cost in rice production is accounted for by labour. Sometimes, labour isnot even available at any price during cropping seasons and lands are left fallow due toshortage of labour. On an average a farmer using his own labour could feed himself andthree others, using draft power he can feed 6 persons and use of tractor could increase thenumber to over 50. Hence, it will be futile to believe that the regional food demand could bemet by traditional farming systems. Therefore, mechanization will be an urgent need for alldeveloping countries in the Asia-Pacific Region and benefits of machinery use are generallyapparent.The use of appropriate farm machinery in the production chain will make farmingmore efficient and enable farmers to diversify cropping by growing more crops. In manycountries mechanization at various levels has lead to improved yields and high labourerproductivity. It is reported that in China use of mechanization has led to 10 percent yieldenhancement and 15 percent if irrigation is included. Use of machinery for harvesting andprocessing increases yield by simply reducing crop losses. The post-harvest losses indeveloping countries are reported as 20-40 percent. Saving this amount is equal toincreasing the yield without any added costs. Use of agricultural machinery shows anupward trend in the Region. Agricultural tractors in use have increased from 2.2-3.3 millionover the period 1977-1987 showing a growth rate of 4.2 percent. Some countries of theRegion have developed local agricultural machinery manufacturing industries. Sri Lanka hasmade remarkable advancements in the commercial manufacture of water pumps, paddy,threshers, dryers, ploughs, puddle wheels, pruning shears, sprayers, milling machines etc., atprices affordable by the farming communities.It is, therefore, necessary to make realistic assessment of the use of machinery in theagriculture sector with adequate government support to develop an agricultural machineryindustry in the Region, to counteract the labour shortages during the growing seasons.4.3 IrrigationWater, which was considered a free resource in many countries, has suddenly becomea scarce commodity and major threat to food production and food security. According to theInternational Water Management Institutes nearly 1.4 billion people, a quarter of the worldpopulation or a third of those living in developing countries, will face severe water scarcitiesin the first quarter of the century (Seckler, 1999). While the regional water consumption isincreasing rapidly, the water supply is decreasing. The increasing demand for water hasseveral components, while agriculture uses a large proportion of water, non-agriculturalwater uses are also increasing. Urbanization and higher per capita availability are the mainreasons for increased water use. Per capita water availability is already declining rapidly. InAsia, water availability has decreased from 99,600 m 3 in 1952 to 3,300 m 3 in 1999. It ispredicted that water availability for domestic and industrial use will increase in developingcountries from 13 percent to 27 percent in 2020. When water is rationed industry anddomestic supply are protected and agriculture will have to make the best out of what is left.In the Asia-Pacific Region about 35 percent of the agricultural land is irrigatedshowing an increase of 6 percent from 1988 - 1997. The irrigated area as percentage ofagricultural land in Pakistan is over 81 percent, DPR Korea 73 percent, Japan 63 percent, andthe Republic of Korea 60 percent, while in the other countries the figures vary from 1.1percent in Fiji to 1.4 percent in Bangladesh. The total agricultural land under irrigation has160