The study of the modernization of agriculture in Galicia in the second half of the 19th – early 20th century is an important area of historical and economic research, as this period marked the transition from traditional, predominantly extensive farming to a more rationalized, technically equipped agricultural system. The incorporation of the region into the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the abolition of serfdom in 1848, and the development of agricultural science and education contributed to the gradual introduction of new technologies and mechanization tools into agricultural production. At the same time, the mechanization of the Galician agrarian sector was characterized by a number of contradictions caused by natural, socio-economic, and institutional factors.

The paper substantiates that scientific and educational institutions, including agricultural schools, as well as scholars and practitioners, played a key role in the development of mechanization. The introduction of agricultural equipment, such as plows, seed drills, reapers, threshers, and other machinery, contributed to increased labor productivity, the expansion of cultivated areas, and the commercial orientation of agricultural production. However, it has been established that imported machinery often did not align with the specific features of Galician agrolandscapes, necessitating structural adaptation and improvement.

Special attention is paid to the analysis of the formation of agricultural machinery testing systems, the development of engineering thought, and the emergence of local practices of technical modernization. It is proven that the adaptation of machinery was a consistent process that included identifying operational problems, empirically correcting them, and subsequently integrating improved solutions into agricultural practice. It is established that mechanization became an important factor in transforming agricultural production, contributing to changes in labor structure, increasing efficiency, and shaping new socio-economic relations in rural areas.

It is concluded that the mechanization of agriculture in Galicia during the studied period was a complex and uneven process that combined innovative tendencies with developmental constraints, while also laying the foundation for further technical modernization of the agrarian sector.

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