Shift to Rubber Cultivation and Consequences on Environment and Food Security in Kerala

Abstract

Over the last fifty years from 1960-61 to 2009-10, agriculture sector in Kerala has shown a degree of change in the cropping pattern. The analysis of cropping pattern shows that the years 1976-77 and 1980-81 marked two important turning points in the Kerala agrarian economy. The area under tapioca was at its maximum in 1976-77 and then declined continuously and the area under rice was at its peak in 1980-81 and then continuous decline set in. The area under total food crops rapidly declined since 1976-77. Rice and tapioca lost the maximum area during the period while rubber and coconut gained the maximum area. The substitution of rubber and coconut at the cost of rice and tapioca has far reaching implications for food and price policies. The change in cropping pattern has given a new dimension in the last decade, that is, rubber seems to be replacing both food crops and non-food crops among the major crops in Kerala. The expansion of rubber and the conversion of food and other nonfood crops brought significant change within the farm sector of Kerala. In this context, the negative impact of changing cropping pattern towards rubber is analysed on four grounds, namely, food security (rice security), land degradation, water depletion and chemical pollution. The results show that the supply demand gap of rice in Kerala has widened tremendously; there is a high decrease in the soil fertility status in the rubber cropped areas; the average groundwater level is very lower in rubber cropped areas as compared to other cropped areas; and that rubber farmers are applying overdose of chemical fertilisers and less of organic manures and lime.