Attitudes, Behaviours and Motivations for Mechanization in Small Scale Portuguese Agriculture

Abstract

Knowing that the purchase of agricultural machinery largely dominates the investment made at farm level in many programs to support the development of the agricultural sector, we sought to evaluate the reasons and rationale for that choice by farmers. The study was conducted in Beira Interior region at the request of the Regional Agricultural Services under the EC measure AGRIS and regarding the period between 2000 and 2004. The methodology includes the analysis of documentary sources, interviews with machinery agents and technicians, and a questionnaire survey of farmers benefiting from the AGRIS measure in the region. The analysis identified relatively homogeneous groups of farmers regarding the behaviour, attitudes and motivations in the use and purchase of tractors. As a consequence the demand was characterized. It was also possible to identify the factors that influenced the supply, either of the machinery and equipment or the funds to purchase them. The findings measured the opportunity of farmer’s technology choices, aiming at the increasing productivity and welfare that the funds available helped to achieve.