Farm mechanization plays a crucial role in increasing production by reducing manual labour but has been slow in Assam and other states in the Northeast region despite government initiatives to push it. Easier access to farm credits can increase the pace, but farmers getting remunerative prices for their produce is critical to influence investment decisions. Problems have compounded for small and marginal farmers who cannot afford to adopt mechanized farming due to the high cost of machinery. On the other hand, the shortage of farm labour on account of agricultural distress caused by non-remunerative prices triggering their outmigration in search of alternative livelihoods in non-farm sectors in cities and urban centres has made traditional and non-mechanized farming practices much more challenging and commercially unviable. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Food Processing has recommended to the ministry concerned to strive for achieving 75% farm mechanization from the present level of 47% in the country in a much shorter period than the set target of 25 years. The Ministry of Agriculture listed several challenges faced in accelerating the pace. These include shrinkage of the average size of operational holdings in all states and the percentage of marginal, small, and semi-medium operational holdings increasing due to the continuing fragmentation of land, which is making individual ownership of agricultural machinery progressively more difficult. The ministry informed the parliamentary panel that smaller and fragmented land size is not suitable for mechanized operations, which results in regional disparity in the level of farm mechanization. Besides, the inadequacy of skilled manpower for the operation, repair, and maintenance of tractors, power tillers, combine harvesters, and other tractor and self-propelled agricultural machinery is another area of concern, it adds. The Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SBAM) implemented by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare provides for establishing block-level custom hiring service infrastructure with comprehensive machinery sets for all major crop operations in the respective regions. The Cooperative Societies of Farmers, Farmers Producer Organizations (FPOs), Self Help Groups (SHGs), and Panchayats are supported with a higher rate of financial assistance for the establishment of Farm Machinery Banks (FMB) at village levels. Farm machinery and equipment are available to the small and marginal farmers on a rental basis from the FMBs. The target set is establishing at least two Custom Hiring Centres (CHC)/FMB in each block in identified aspirational districts that need to be raised to provide greater access to small and marginal farmers. Relaxation of the norms in the case of Assam and other states in the region and providing more funding support are necessary to increase the minimum number of CHC/FMB in each block. Official data shows that a well-equipped CHC provides farm mechanisation support to about 100-200 farmers covering about 200 hectares of farmland in a cropping season. The committee pointed out data deficits on farm mechanization levels in the country and rightly recommended that there is an urgent need to conduct a systematic study as proposed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research on state-wise mechanization gaps for making realistic plans for requisite mechanization for small and marginal farmers in each state based on real-time data. The proposed study is important for states like Assam, and without a comprehensive understanding of the gap, it is not possible to achieve the goals even after the achievement of targets set under the SBAM. The establishment of more cold storage in the public sector and making storage spaces easily available at affordable prices for small and marginal farmers is crucial to prevent distress selling so that their investment in seeds, irrigation, mechanized farming, and transportation is not higher than the selling price. Post-harvest losses due to a dearth of proper storage reduce farm profitability, making agricultural activities unsustainable for small and marginal farmers who account for most farm families in the state and the region. Climate change impacts have added to the challenges of sustainable farming, and farm mechanization plays a crucial role in increasing efficiency and optimizing available land use for farmers with small holdings, which are vital for increasing production and minimizing harvest losses. Assured irrigation has become more important in Assam as 60% of its net cropped areas are rainfed, and climate change impacts have led to a drastic change in rainfall patterns, adding to the difficulties of farmers in these areas. Erratic and unpredictable rainfall, long spells of dry season, and large excess rains damaging standing crops have compounded the challenges for small and marginal farmers dependent on rainwater for irrigation by adversely affecting the yield and quality of produce. Farmers in the state having adequate protection in the form of crop insurance against losses is essential to remain engaged in farming as a primary livelihood avenue. Farm mechanization cannot be achieved in isolation by increasing government support. Along with greater and easier access to farm mechanization, addressing the associated problems is essential to transform the agriculture sector from subsistence farming to commercial scale.