Determinants of crop diversification in Kerala- a temporal analysis

Determinants of crop diversification in Kerala- a temporal analysis

Authors

  • Geethu P. George College of Agriculture, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur 482 004, Madhya Pradesh, India
  • Hari Om Sharma College of Agriculture, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur 482 004, Madhya Pradesh, India

Keywords:

Crop diversification, Kerala, commercial crops, homestead farming, Modified Entropy Index

Abstract

The magnitude of crop diversification shows the impact of physical, socio-economic and technological influence on cropping pattern of an area. The present study was aimed at assessing crop diversification over a period of 30 years (1987-88 to 2016-17) along with the trends and growth in area of major crops of Kerala. The data were collected from periodic documents such as ‘Economic Review’ published by the Kerala State Planning Board, and ‘Agricultural Statistics’ by the Department of Economics & Statistics, Government of Kerala. The study revealed that the area under food crops in Kerala has been dwindling over the years while the area under most commercial crops, especially, rubber, arecanut and banana has been increasing. In the process, crop diversity suffered as farmers have shifted from diversified to specialized farming. It is also evident that when wage rate increases, crop diversification decreases as farmers shift to less labour-intensive perennial crops like rubber and coconut. Higher literacy rate prevalent in Kerala also contributes to decline of crop diversification. However, as increased population density leads to fragmentation of land holdings, homestead-based farming, which encourages crop diversification is widely prevalent among small holders.

Author Biographies

Geethu P. George, College of Agriculture, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur 482 004, Madhya Pradesh, India

  

Hari Om Sharma, College of Agriculture, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur 482 004, Madhya Pradesh, India

  

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Published

20-10-2020

How to Cite

George, G. P., & Sharma, H. O. (2020). Determinants of crop diversification in Kerala- a temporal analysis. Journal of Tropical Agriculture, 58(1). Retrieved from https://jtropag.kau.in/index.php/ojs2/article/view/882

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Section

Short communications

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