Fallow land cultivation in Kerala-a multidimensional analysis

Abstract

Land use pattern in Kerala has always been dynamic. The choice of crops and cropping pattern also changed over years. Despite increasing population pressure and growing demand for food grains in the state, the net cultivated area is declining over the years and area under fallow is expanding. There has been concerted effort in the state for reviving the agriculture sector through the utilization of cultivable fallow lands. It was in this backdrop the study entitled ‘Fallow land cultivation in Kerala – A multidimensional analysis’ was formulated to evaluate the land use changes in the state. An ex-post facto research design was followed in the study with the specific objectives of mapping the spatial and temporal dynamics of agricultural land use pattern in Kerala; delineation of the perceived socio economic and agro -ecological determinants of agricultural land fallowing; documentation of major strategies to promote fallow land farming in the state; development of an index to measure the performance effectiveness of fallow land development programmes under selected AEZs and evolving policy recommendations for the implementation of effective agricultural fallow land management system. Out of the five AEZs of Kerala, two AEZs viz. midland laterites and high hills were purposively sampled based on the criteria of having the maximum area and high agricultural activities. Kasargod, Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram districts were purposively selected from the north, central and south Kerala respectively based on implementation of fallow land schemes. A total of eighteen panchayats coming under the two AEZs in these districts were selected randomly for the study. A total of 180 farmers who were the beneficiaries of fallow land development schemes and 180 control farmers who owned fallow land were covered in the study making the total sample size of 360. The spatial and temporal dynamics of Land Use Land Cover (LULC) changes in the state was assessed based on multispectral data from LANDSAT images taken over the years 1991, 2001, 2011 and 2021 using ArcGIS software. The area under built up land recorded consistent increase in all the three districts over the years with a total change of 51.19 sq. km. in the state for the period of thirty years between 1991-2021. The highest increase has been recorded in the capital district of Thiruvanathapuram (30.55 sq. km) and the minimum in the northern district of Kasargod (1.10 sq. km). The results highlighted a concerning trend of decreasing cropland area in Kerala between 1991 and 2021. The overall trend showed a total decrease of 24.06 sq. km in cropland area during the period. Trees and plantations recorded an overall decrease of 12.53. Though a decreasing trend was evident from Thrissur (-9.43 sq. km) and Thiruvanathapuram (-27.96 sq. km), the trend was positive for Kasargod district (24.86 sq. km). Despite concerted policy efforts to optimize land use, fallow land in Kerala has witnessed an overall surge over the study period. The results revealed stark regional disparities with Kasargod district recording a substantial decrease in fallow land (-7.41 sq. km) and the more urbanized districts of Thrissur (8.13 sq. km) and Thiruvananthapuram (0.67 sq. km) showing significant increase. Notably, there has been no change in forest cover between 1991 and 2021 across all the selected districts of the state. Land cover under scrub lands recorded an overall decrease of 17.77 sq. km. The results also indicated a noticeable increase in quarries across Kerala over the past three decades with a surge of 0.83 sq. km. The determinants of agricultural land fallowing were delineated through factor analysis. The factors of land fallowing identified were perspectives on fallowing (4.612), socio economic factors (2.362), land use experience (1.903), risk contingencies and orientation (1.306), personal factors (1.155) and economic and agro ecological factors1.041). The perspectives included perception on causes of fallowing (0.414) and perception on consequences of land fallowing (0.401). Socio -economic attributes identified were family size (-0.446), subsidiary enterprises (-0.430), land value (0.425), wage rate (0.414) and social participation (-0.377). Land use experience factors were farming experience (0.392), preceding crop cultivated (-0.377), and farming alienation (0.304). Risk contingencies identified were (wild animal attack (0.487), risk orientation (-0.393) and distance of crop land from road (-0.378). Personal traits included age (0.436) and personal reasons attributed to fallowing (0.370). Economic and agro-ecological features identified were annual income (-0.408), incidence of extreme weather events (0.452), and land fragmentation (0.305). The identified determinants were also classified into cause and-effect factors using DEMATEL (Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory) technique. The perspectives on fallowing (1.274) and socio-economic attributes (0.563) were identified as the cause factors and land use experience (-0.007), risk contingencies (-0.323), personal traits (-0.665) and economic and agro-ecological features (-0.843) were identified as the effect factors. The major policy interventions to promote fallow land cultivation in Kerala (2011- 2024) was documented through content analysis using Nvivo software. Seven schemes in Kerala with fallow land development components were selected. The selected schemes were Haritha Keralam-Sujalam Suphalam, fallow less village programme of Kudumbasree mission, Subhiksha Keralam, rice development scheme, vegetable development scheme, pulses and tuber development scheme and NAWO DHAN (New Agriculture Wealth Opportunities - Driving Horticulture and Agribusiness Networking). The analysis showed that the schemes have evolved from focusing solely on private fallow land to include government-owned fallow land, indicating a broader approach to land utilization. While collective farming was prevalent in the early years, the trend has shifted towards precision farming by individual farmers, farmer groups and start-ups suggesting a more personalized and technology-driven approach. The schemes have expanded from focusing primarily on paddy fallow land to include various crop fallows, demonstrating a more diverse and inclusive approach. Fallow land development schemes in Kerala have evolved to become more inclusive, technology-driven, and focused on sustainable agriculture. Policy Performance Index was developed on social, economic and environmental dimensions of the policies. Performance index across three districts shows that Thiruvananthapuram has the highest performance on fallow land schemes (0.591) followed by Kasaragod (0.527) and Thrissur (0.511).The major recommendations for effective fallow management in the state has been to utilize remote sensing technologies to identify fallow lands and to detect land conversions, develop legal framework for leasing out fallow land to farmers, develop fallow land banks for under local self-government for community leasing, customised panchayat level participatory land use planning tailored to specific regional needs.