Spatio-Temporal Change of Crop Diversification in Kerala: An Economic Review

Abstract

The significance of analysis of spatio-temporal changes in crop diversity lies in its usefulness for policy makers. It reveals changing pattern of competition among various crops. Diversification is a strategy to optimize the use of land, water and other resources of an area by cultivating more profitable crops. It provides the farmers to decide what to cultivate on their land which provides maximum returns and generally farmer cultivate more than one crop to avoid risk and uncertainty due to climatic and biological vagaries. The concept of diversification implies shift from less profitable and non sustainable crops to more profitable and sustainable crops. It has become an important option to attain natural resource sustainability, ecological balance, employment generation, risk generation: monocropping high risk. In this paper an attempt has been made to analyze the extent of crop diversification at district level in Kerala state. The study is based on primary and secondary data. Primary data collected from direct field visit. Govt. records, journals and periodicals are used as secondary data. To analyze the crop diversification at district level Herfindahl index and Entropy index were worked out. Toposheets and other maps published by different agencies are used for the study. Arc GIS 9.3 version software is used for the preparation of relevant maps. The state has an area of 38,863 km(2) with 14 districts. Lying between north latitudes 8 degrees 18' and 12 degrees 48' and east longitudes 74 degrees 52' and 77 degrees 22'. Topography, climate, soil, drainage etc ... Influences the agriculture land use pattern of the state. The analysis concluded that more diversion of area towards coconut and rubber in Kottayam, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts due to high wages to labours, increased demand of the product, etc .... Such an analysis focuses on the identification of crop diversification regions that provide a clean areal differentiation in the case of crop grown and also give avenue to planners to establish more economically sustained agricultural system.