During the 1970s, major policy debates on the role of mechanisation in agricultural and rural development in south Asia took place; by the early 1990s, such debates had largely faded. Yet today, countries such as Bangladesh possess some of the most productive, mechanised and labour-intensive agricultural industries in south Asia.

Instead of designing a low priced indigenous tractor, industry copies models used abroad

What runs the small farming economy?

The needs of the small farmer require attention: small tractors or animal power? Both?