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economics of on-farm development - Institute for Social and ...

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labour intensive <strong>farm</strong>ing operati<strong>on</strong>s. Sociological reas<strong>on</strong>s are also indicated as<br />

adversely affecting paddy cultivati<strong>on</strong>. These problems include high proporti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

elderly am<strong>on</strong>g the <strong>farm</strong>ers as well as labourers.<br />

The major technical c<strong>on</strong>straints <strong>for</strong> irrigati<strong>on</strong> <strong>development</strong> in Kerala as<br />

brought out by the study are: (i) design <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the projects exclusively <strong>for</strong> paddy<br />

cultivati<strong>on</strong>; (ii) the water distributi<strong>on</strong> networks in the comm<strong>and</strong> areas do not<br />

permit to introduce dem<strong>and</strong> based supply <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> water; (iii) irrigati<strong>on</strong> infrastructure<br />

<strong>and</strong> water distributi<strong>on</strong> networks are in dilapidated c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> there<strong>for</strong>e. need<br />

immediate rehabilitati<strong>on</strong> to allow designed discharge <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> water in the canals: (iv)<br />

improper design <strong>and</strong> alignment <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> some <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the canals <strong>and</strong> field channels<br />

adversely affecting water distributi<strong>on</strong>.<br />

A major c<strong>on</strong>sequence <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the projects being designed exclusively <strong>for</strong><br />

paddy cultivati<strong>on</strong> is that crop diversificati<strong>on</strong> is not legally permitted to take<br />

advantage <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the abundant water available in the canals left unutilised in the<br />

absence <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> paddy cultivati<strong>on</strong>. Though the <strong>farm</strong>ers have undertaken crop<br />

diversificati<strong>on</strong> some <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the irrigati<strong>on</strong> comm<strong>and</strong>s. there are several practical<br />

problems arising out <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> inflexible design <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the water distributi<strong>on</strong> network<br />

enabling crop diversificati<strong>on</strong>. Since the terrain in many <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the irrigati<strong>on</strong><br />

comm<strong>and</strong>s in Kerala is undulating. effective utilisati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> canal water<br />

necessitates significant investment <strong>on</strong> OFD both from the irrigati<strong>on</strong> department<br />

upstream side <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the canal system as well as the <strong>farm</strong>ers downstream.<br />

The technical c<strong>on</strong>straints III the <strong>development</strong> distributi<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong><br />

management <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> irrigati<strong>on</strong> systems warrants proper underst<strong>and</strong>ing <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the l<strong>and</strong> use<br />

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