What will be the likely effect if agriculture is fully mechanized in West Africa?

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks about the likely effect of full mechanization of agriculture. Mechanization means replacing human and animal labour with machines such as tractors, harvesters, planters and sprayers.

Step 2: Explain the concept Mechanization makes farming capital-intensive instead of labour-intensive. Machines do the work of many people, so:

• Output per worker rises (higher productivity)
• Fewer workers are needed for the same or larger area of land
• Some farm labourers may become unemployed or move to other sectors, such as industry and services

Step 3: Evaluate each option

• A. More jobs will be available for farm labourers. Incorrect. Machines replace labourers, so farm jobs for manual workers generally fall. Some new jobs appear (machine operators, mechanics), but not more jobs for farm labourers.
• B. Labour intensive method of farming will still be dominant. Incorrect. This contradicts "fully mechanized." A fully mechanized system is capital-intensive.
• C. Less labour will be required on the farm. Correct. This is the direct and most likely effect of replacing manual work with machines.
• D. Governments will no longer be involved in agriculture. Incorrect. Governments still provide subsidies, research, infrastructure, extension services and regulation, whatever the farming method.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is C. Less labour will be required on the farm.

Exam tip: Whenever you see "mechanization" or "automation" in Economics, think more capital, less labour. Also watch for words like "fully," which rule out options that say the old method will "still be dominant."