EVALUATION OF THE MECHANIZATION LEVEL: A CASE STUDY OF DIVJAKA MUNICIPALITY

The study of the current level of mechanization is essential because it provides a realistic picture of the technical capacity of the area, identifies gaps and investment needs, improves productivity and sustainability, supports evidence-based policies and enables planning for long-term agricultural development.Agricultural mechanization is a key factor in food production, and its effective application depends on understanding the indicators that influence its performance.The objective of this study was to evaluate the main mechanization indicators in the Municipality of Divjaka.The research was conducted in two stages.In the first stage, quantitative information was gathered on total and cultivated agricultural land, farm and parcel sizes, the existing machinery and tractor fleet, maintenance and repair practices, and production levels.In the second stage, the mechanization indicators were calculated following methodological guidelines provided by several authors.The value of Mechanizations Indicators in study area are: Farm Power Availability, 2.51 kW/ha, Density of the tractor 74.89 tractor/1000 ha, Workload per tractor 13.53 ha/tractor, Average power per tractor 48.76 kW/tractor, the Machinery ratio per Tractor 3.08 and the Degree of Mechanization according to processes, crops and area were used to determine the level of mechanization.In conclusion, the level of mechanization in the Municipality of Divjaka, using the indices determined for this purpose, was assessed as high compared to developing countries.However, mechanization is not balanced in relation to crops and work processes.The transition to a high level of mechanization compared to developed countries requires not only an increase in the number of tractors but also an increase in the average tractor power above 50 kW and the number of machines 5-7 machines for each tractor, starting with existing tractors.Improving these indicators will directly affect the increase in the level of mechanization and the possibility of using new modern technologies.