Such machinery has facilitated the full or partial replacement of human- and animal-powered equipment in developed countries and increasingly in developing countries as well. The net result has been higher productivity and the welcome elimination of much of the drudgery of manual farm labor. For example, one person involved in agricultural production can now provide enough food and fiber for 128 others whereas only a century ago one person could provide food and fiber for only eight others (see also, Technology and Power in Agriculture).
The most dramatic aspect of mechanization is the shift from one source of power to another. In ancient China cattle began to replace human labor more than 3,200 years ago. Between the second and fourth century A.D. fairly widespread use of water power is reported from China for rice pounding, grinding, and water lifting (Liu 1962).

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Such machinery has facilitated the full or partial replacement of human- and animal-powered equipment in developed countries and increasingly in developing countries as well. The net result has been higher productivity and the welcome elimination of much of the drudgery of manual farm labor. For example, one person involved in agricultural production can now provide enough food and fiber for 128 others whereas only a century ago one person could provide food and fiber for only eight others (see also, Technology and Power in Agriculture).
The most dramatic aspect of mechanization is the shift from one source of power to another. In ancient China cattle began to replace human labor more than 3,200 years ago. Between the second and fourth century A.D. fairly widespread use of water power is reported from China for rice pounding, grinding, and water lifting (Liu 1962).

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