Abstract
The statistical profile of Kasaragod district experienced changes in cropping pattern. This created imbalance in the cropping system and had a serious economic and environmental impact on the farm sector and the sustainability of the agrarian economy. Changing cropping pattern and the consequent application of chemical fertilisers and pesticides heavily resulted in the depletion of inherent macronutrients, plant nutrients and micronutrients of the soil. There is a concern on the deterioration of quantity and quality of surface and groundwater. Sustainability has three important components: continued profitability, soil stability overtime and absence of adverse impact on the environment. In this context, the sustainability of the crop sector and the agrarian economy of Kasaragod district in Kerala is analysed on three grounds: decline in soil fertility status, decrease in the groundwater level and decline in total factor productivity growth. The analysis reveals decrease in soil fertility status in different crop growing areas with very high in rubber cropped areas, very low average groundwater level in rubber cropped areas compared to other cropped areas and deceleration in the total factor productivity growth in the crop sector of the district.
Highlights
Kasaragod was made as a separate district on 24th May 1984 in the northern most part of the State of Kerala
(i) Decline in soil fertility status measured by calculating the average soil fertility status of four crop growing areas of paddy, coconut, areca nut and rubber by evaluating and analysing pH status and NPK status showed that pH status was decreasing over the years in all crop growing areas and was severe in rubber cropped systems; the continuous decline of soil health and soil fertility in general and the decline of P and K soil status in particular were observed in the rubber cropped areas compared to other cropped areas
(ii) Decrease in the average groundwater level in different crop growing areas revealed that water level in rubber crop growing areas was very low compared to paddy, coconut and areca nut
Summary
Kasaragod was made as a separate district on 24th May 1984 in the northern most part of the State of Kerala. During 1985-86 the order of the first six crops was coconut, cashew nut, paddy, pepper, rubber and areca nut in the descending order of shares to the. In 2013-14, the first six crops were coconut, rubber, areca nut, cashew nut, pepper and paddy. It is felt that some of the indicators of sustainability or unsustainability like decline in yield, total factor productivity and native soil fertility, depletion in the quantity and quality of surface and groundwater resource, etc., are most relevant in the sustainability of the agrarian economy. 1. To analyse the changes in cropping pattern in the Kasaragod district of Kerala; 2. To examine how changes in cropping pattern affected the sustainability of the agrarian economy of the district
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