December 2025
Access to appropriate farm implements enhances productivity, while addressing labour shortage issue. The Agriculture Implements Bank initiative shows how farm equipment could be made easily accessible while generating enough revenues and gainfully engaging youth in agriculture in rural areas.
Over the last 35 years, due to liberalization, globalization, and privatization, India has witnessed rapid technological and industrial development. As a result, agriculture has also adopted new, modern technologies. Traditional wooden tools and bullock pairs have been replaced by powerful tractors and iron implements. Every day, newer tools based on advanced technologies enter the market, leading to intense competition among big manufacturing companies.
However, economically, the condition of the farmers has not improved enough for them to easily own and adopt all these technological changes. To support them, both the Central and State governments (including Maharashtra) have launched several subsidy and loan schemes. The first Implement Bank experiment in India was conducted at Jawaharlal Nehru Agricultural University, Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh), and Mahatma Phule Agricultural University, Rahuri, District Ahmednagar (Maharashtra).
Jnana Prabodhini’s Harali Centre, located in the Lohara block of Dharashiv district, with its headquarters in Pune, undertakes a variety of rural development initiatives. Along with running a school and agriculture diploma college, the centre works in the areas of women empowerment, watershed development, organic farming and entrepreneurship development for rural youth.
The Agriculture Implement Bank
The ‘Prabodhan Agriculture Implement Bank’ was launched at Jnana Prabodhini, Harali Center in February 2024. The primary objective of an Agriculture Implement Bank is to provide agricultural tools on rent to small and marginal farmers who cannot afford to buy them while engaging local farm youth in managing the enterprise. The Agriculture Implement Bank was started with multiple objectives:
- Providing access to small farmers: Small farmers often cannot afford modern agricultural tools. The Tool Bank aims to make small, manually operated tools easily available to such farmers, thereby reducing their production costs.
- Support for tractor owners: The number of tractors in rural areas has increased in recent years, owing to support from government schemes. However, along with tractors, farmers need additional implements to carryout various farm operations, which is a huge financial burden. The Tool Bank helps such tractor owners get the necessary tools on rent, enabling them to expand their farm-based businesses.
- Employment for rural youth: Labour shortages in agriculture are growing every day. Young people are increasingly reluctant to work in the fields. At the same time, rural unemployment among youth is becoming a serious issue. Youth have been enthused to use modern, power-driven agricultural machinery like power weeders, power tillers, and sprayers. They can be trained in use of farm implements, which can create self-employment opportunities for them.
| “The Implement Bank has been extremely useful for small farmers like me. It helped me access modern machines, making fieldwork much easier. For example, earlier no one in my village had a BBF planter, but I rented one from the Implement Bank and used it for sowing. Even after heavy rains, my crop suffered minimal damage. Also, by using a soybean harvester, I saved ₹1,500 per acre - the local rate was ₹5,000, but my cost was only ₹3,500. I sincerely thank the Implement Bank for this great help.” Somnath Vinayak Birajdar, S. Hipparga |
Setting up the bank
Before starting this tool bank, we held meetings with farmers, youth, and tractor owners from 3 villages. The issues discussed included, the price that would be easy for them to pay; the number of days in a year each tool would be used; the rate of work for the youth; the rent they would pay to the tool bank; and the acre rent the farmer willing to bear and the employment that the youth would get from this initiative.
The “Prabodhak Implement Bank”, currently has 77 tools of 47 different types - 28 tractor-driven tools, 9 automated tools (5 types) and 40 manually operated tools (14 types).
We have organized 2-day training sessions twice a year for new types of power tillers and weeders in our area. Fifteen farm youth participated in this training. They were given technical information and practice in operating the tools. In this, we provided trainers with the help of tool sellers and shopkeepers. Along with this, field training was given at the Harali Center while the actual work was going on. Sometimes, if a new farmer is interested in using the tools, he is given individual training, occasionally. Training period ranges from 2 hours to 2 days. Currently, we are mainly training youth and male farmers. We have trained 2 youth in tool maintenance and repair.
Generally, we have only one unit of each tool. It is true that there are only a few tools that are in high demand. So, during the season, there is a high demand for one tool. Sometimes demand is more but we have less tools. To address this issue, we pre-register. Since many farmers are in regular contact with us, even if there is a dispute, it is resolved through communication.
Transport mechanisms: With regard to hand-operated tools, as they are small in size, farmers carry them on their two-wheelers and bring them back after work. We do provide transport to farmers who do not have their own vehicles, but such farmers are very few. Tractor owners themselves come and carry the tools. Tools like automatic power tillers have to be driven and carried for short distances. If the distance is long, they have to be transported by vehicle, in such a case, if the work is heavy, the farmer and the working youth can afford it. But such transportation has to be done very few times in a year only, when the major repairs are undertaken for the tools. That time, outside vehicles are used.
Investments and returns: The total equipment of the Implement Bank is valued at Rupees 45 lakhs. We have spent about Rs.2 lakhs on the shed and other arrangements for it. Thus, the total capital expenditure has been Rs. 47 lakhs. In the last one and a half years, we have earned Rs.7.5 lakhs in rent from the business, out of which Rs.5 lakhs is spent on maintenance, repair, purchase of necessary materials and salaries of two youth who work in this enterprise. The remaining Rs.2.5 lakhs remains in reserve.
| “The Implement Bank at Jnana Prabodhini, Harali (Lohara, Dharashiv) has been a blessing for farmers. Using these tools has made farming more affordable. Thanks to modern machinery and guidance from Jnana Prabodhini experts, my productivity and profit have increased. I believe every village should have its own Tool Bank.” Lakhan Nalwade, Dhanori |
In the past one and a half years, these tools have been issued and returned 1,400 times. Two hundred ninety farmers from 25 villages have directly benefited by visiting the center. A group of 15 trained youth operators has served 80 farmers across 6 new villages. Ten youth operators, 15 tractor-owning entrepreneurs, and 60 farmers regularly use the tools. Tractor owners’ groups have provided services to around 300 farmers using tractor-driven tools. Overall, the Tool Bank has benefited 670 farmers from 31 villages, directly helping 370 and indirectly helping 300 more. Table 1 illustrates the area covered in acres.
| S. No. | Beneficiary Group | Area (acres) | No. of farmers benefited |
| 1 | Tractor-owning entrepreneurs | 750 | 300 |
| 2 | Prabodhak Tool Operators (Youth) | 300 | 80 |
| 3 | Individual farmers | 300 | 290 |
| Total | 1,350 acres (approx.) | 670 farmers (approx.) |
Involving youth – an empowering strategy
While establishing Prabodhan Tool Bank, the main idea was to provide employment to the youth. The idea we explored was, creating a model at the village level where a group of 10-12 youth can get employment. Along with this, we have thought about technical training for the youth, e.g., welder, mason, carpenter etc. However, we recognised that they may not create high-demand throughout the year. On the other hand, there may be enough work in agriculture throughout the year. Along with that, our main intention is that the farmers should be able to use good modern tools easily, and they should be able to do some new experiments using them.
Before starting a tool bank in rural areas, we explored if there was any such initiative in Maharashtra, but we couldn’t find any. We decided on the tools needed in agriculture, based on our prior knowledge and discussion with the farmers. While deciding to purchase these tools, we also realized that the sellers were at least100 km away. Also, there were no skilled workers or such services in our area for the maintenance and repair of these tools. Thus, we decided to provide some basic training on maintenance and repair training and preparing skilled workers.
All operators received training to use and maintain the tools. During this experiment, it was observed that a youth could earn ₹800 per day for 8 hours of work, making this a desirable occupation. After paying tool rent and fuel costs, youth could earn between ₹800 to ₹2,000 per day.
The entire Tool Bank is managed by the youth group itself—with one tractor operator, one trained mechanic for maintenance and repair, and one record-keeper/accountant. Salaries and maintenance costs are covered by the tool rental income. In the past 18 months, about ₹7.5 lakh was earned through tool rentals.
Based on our experience, we can say that if there is a positive group of 10-12 youth in the village who are looking for employment, a “farmer group” of youth can be formed in every village to promote agriculture in the village. In fact, it makes the work of big and small farmers in agriculture easier. The availability of automated tools in this Tool Bank has given progressive farmers an opportunity to experiment with new techniques. Youth have also started showing initiative by joining the Young Prabodhan Tool Operator Group.
Modern tools like the BBF (Broad Bed Furrow) planter and power tillers have introduced local farmers to new agricultural techniques, and after seeing their benefits first hand, their confidence in modern farming has grown. This initiative has helped create youth employment, increase tractor owners’ income, and saved farmers significant time and money. Farmers are able to access tools as per their needs and complete agricultural operations on time, resulting in improved productivity and reduced investment costs. Modern technologies like AI and drones can reduce the dependence on physical labour, for instance use of drone spraying tools. The need is to recognise that agriculture is a significant source of employing youth and creating profits for farmers by using suitable farm tools.
Suresh Margale Head of Youth Wing Jnana Prabodhini Harali Centre At.Harali Post.Toramba Ta.Lohara Dist. Dharashiv-413604 Maharashtra Email ID – sureshmargale123@gmail.com
