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

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unit <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> l<strong>and</strong> cultivated (Net Sown Area) is higher by 24 per cent under lift<br />

irrigati<strong>on</strong> than cross bar irrigati<strong>on</strong>.<br />

The issues <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> improper financial planning <strong>and</strong> problems <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> irrigati<strong>on</strong><br />

<strong>development</strong> have been discussed in Netto (1990), KSSP (1988). Santhakumar el<br />

at (1995) indicates the absence <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> regi<strong>on</strong>-specific agrarian <strong>and</strong> hydrologic<br />

features in the technological planning <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> irrigati<strong>on</strong> projects in the state.<br />

Most <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the studies addresses the price <strong>and</strong> n<strong>on</strong>-price factors that<br />

influences the paradigm shift in cropping pattern in the state, characterised by a<br />

tremendous decline in paddy, a principal crop in most <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the irrigati<strong>on</strong> systems in<br />

Kerala. Kannan <strong>and</strong> Pushpangadan (1988 <strong>and</strong> 1990) have brought out the impact<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> decline in area under paddy in Kerala <strong>on</strong> employment. The study says that<br />

around 35 milli<strong>on</strong> man-days between 1970s <strong>and</strong> early 1980s were lost due to fall<br />

in the area under paddy. The reas<strong>on</strong> <strong>for</strong> the decline in area under paddy, am<strong>on</strong>g<br />

others, is a gradual secular reducti<strong>on</strong> in the relative pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>itability <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> paddy<br />

[Parthasarathy (1983); Radhakrishnan, 1983; Thomas et. al (1991, 1992); Babu et<br />

at (1993); Sreeja, 1998). In the absence <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> irrigati<strong>on</strong>, the level <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> fertilizer<br />

applicati<strong>on</strong> was lower in the state 20 than the recommended dosage.<br />

Shortage in the availability <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> labour as well as the changing labour<br />

relati<strong>on</strong>s have also been cited as important factors that influence the agrarian·<br />

activities in the regi<strong>on</strong>. In a study <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the agricultural labour households in a wet<br />

l<strong>and</strong> regi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Kerala, Francis (1990: 86) finds that the participati<strong>on</strong> rate <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the<br />

20 The level <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> fertilizer c<strong>on</strong>sumpti<strong>on</strong> has been reported to be at 53 kg. per ha. in Kerala<br />

in comparis<strong>on</strong> to 159 kg. in the Punjab, 96 kg. in Tamilnadu <strong>and</strong> 75 kg. in U.P. during<br />

1986-87 (Geethakutty, \993).<br />

72

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