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Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur

The history of agricultural education in Kerala can be traced back to the year 1896 when a scheme was evolved in the erstwhile Travancore State to train a few young men in scientific agriculture at the Demonstration Farm, Karamana, Thiruvananthapuram, presently, the Cropping Systems Research Centre under Kerala Agricultural University. Agriculture was introduced as an optional subject in the middle school classes in the State in 1922 when an Agricultural Middle School was started at Aluva, Ernakulam District. The popularity and usefulness of this school led to the starting of similar institutions at Kottarakkara and Konni in 1928 and 1931 respectively. Agriculture was later introduced as an optional subject for Intermediate Course in 1953. In 1955, the erstwhile Government of Travancore-Cochin started the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Mannuthy, Thrissur for imparting higher education in agricultural and veterinary sciences, respectively. These institutions were brought under the direct administrative control of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Animal Husbandry, respectively. With the formation of Kerala State in 1956, these two colleges were affiliated to the University of Kerala. The post-graduate programmes leading to M.Sc. (Ag), M.V.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees were started in 1961, 1962 and 1965 respectively. On the recommendation of the Second National Education Commission (1964-66) headed by Dr. D.S. Kothari, the then Chairman of the University Grants Commission, one Agricultural University in each State was established. The State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) were established in India as an integral part of the National Agricultural Research System to give the much needed impetus to Agriculture Education and Research in the Country. As a result the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) was established on 24th February 1971 by virtue of the Act 33 of 1971 and started functioning on 1st February 1972. The Kerala Agricultural University is the 15th in the series of the SAUs. In accordance with the provisions of KAU Act of 1971, the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, were brought under the Kerala Agricultural University. In addition, twenty one agricultural and animal husbandry research stations were also transferred to the KAU for taking up research and extension programmes on various crops, animals, birds, etc. During 2011, Kerala Agricultural University was trifurcated into Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU), Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) and Kerala Agricultural University (KAU). Now the University has seven colleges (four Agriculture, one Agricultural Engineering, one Forestry, one Co-operation Banking & Management), six RARSs, seven KVKs, 15 Research Stations and 16 Research and Extension Units under the faculties of Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering and Forestry. In addition, one Academy on Climate Change Adaptation and one Institute of Agricultural Technology offering M.Sc. (Integrated) Climate Change Adaptation and Diploma in Agricultural Sciences respectively are also functioning in Kerala Agricultural University.

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19853
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Subject: Agricultural Economics × Author: KAU × End date: 1985 × Start date: 1985 × Type: Thesis ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Cost of cultivation and marketing of pepper in Cannanore district
    (Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 1985) Santhosh, P; KAU; Narayanan Nair, E R
    The study was based mainly on the data collected from a sample of farmers and market intermediaries in Cannanore district of Kerala during the year 1982-’83. Data for estimating the cost of cultivation were generated from a random sample of 72 farmers, stratified on the basis of size holding. The costs were analysed input wise, operation wise and also based on ABC cost concepts in the aggregate level and stratum level. Capital productivity analysis was also attempted to study the economic feasibility of pepper cultivation. Pepper marketing was studied from the level of producers to the terminal market at Cochin. Price spread was worked out through the method of concurrent margins. Cost of production analysis was carried out both at the aggregate level and at the stratum levels for a period of seven years viz. from planting till the crop attained the stage of yield stabilisation. The annual cost for the seven year period at the aggregate level was found to be Rs.5,605, during the first year, Rs.2,475.06 in the second year, Rs.3,481.80 in the third year, Rs.3,514.48 in the fourth year, Rs.3,992.72 in the fifth year, Rs.4,715.12 in the sixth year and Rs.5,681.68 in the seventh year. In general the most conspicuous cost creating input was human labour while the corresponding operation was intercultural operations. Roughly one-fourth of the total cost was fixed cost and the rental value of the land was the predominant item in this. The cost of cultivation was highest in stratum II and less in stratum I. Analysis of capital productivity revealed that the investment on pepper cultivation had a pay back period of nine years two months and eleven days, benefit-cost ratio of 1.16, Net present worth of Rs. 6,646 and an internal rate of return of 17.22 per cent. The market practices, marketing costs, market structure and price spread were also studied. The marketing channels identified were: 1. Producer → Pre-harvest contractor → Wholesaler →Exporter 2. Producer → Village Merchant → Wholesaler → Exporter 3. Producer → Wholesaler → Exporter 4. Producer → Village Merchant → Commission agent → Wholesaler → Exporter 5. Producer → Commission agent → Wholesaler → Exporter 6. Producer → Village Merchant → Internal wholesaler (Consignment trade) The price spread in these six channels were worked out to be 28 per cent, 17.45 per cent, 12.65 per cent, 18.91 per cent, 14.11 per cent and 14.01 per cent respectively.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Optimization of enterprise combinations with special reference to garden land agriculture
    (Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 1985) Jayachandran, N V; KAU; Prabhakaran, T
    This study on optimal enterprise combinations on garden land farms in Kerala was carried out using data collected from sample holdings selected from the ninth ward of Panancherry panchayath under Ollukkara block in Trichur district, through simple random sampling. The 72 holdings that formed the sample were grouped into four categories based on size of garden land holdings. The major constraints identified were land, labour in three seasons viz. June to September, October to December and January to May, irrigation and capital. Banana was identified as the most resource intensive activity followed by arecanut plus pepper. Cocoa was the least labour and capital intensive activity. Net margins calculated per unit of activity indicated that banana had highest net margin in all categories followed by arecanut plus pepper, coconut, cow, tapioca and cocoa in the decreasing order. Optimal plans worked out under existing conditions using linear programming technique for model farms under the four categories of holdings indicated a uniform tendency of increase in area under coconut over the existing plan. Except the optimal plan for the second category, which included arecanut plus pepper also, all other optimal plans had three enterprises viz. coconut, banana and cow. Cocoa and tapioca did not appear in any optimal plan. Maximum increase in net income of 52 per cent was recorded in optimal plan for first category. In other categories the increases were ten per cent in both second and third and nine per cent in the fourth category. Optimal plans resulted in more efficient use of resources. Sensitivity of optimal plans were tested by considering 25 per cent increases in prices of pepper and tapioca. The optimal plans at revised prices indicated decline in area under coconut over optimal plans at original prices in all categories simultaneously followed by appearance of tapioca in the first category and arecanut plus pepper in second, third and fourth categories. Banana was eliminated from second category and cow activity from the third category. Increase in net incomes on revised optimal plans over existing plans worked out to 54 per cent, 20 per cent, 13 per cent and 10 per cent respectively on categories I, II, III and IV.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Work ,wages and wellbeing of agricultural labourers in Palghat district
    (Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 1985) Sankar, P N; KAU; Radhakrishnan, V
    The study was undertaken to understand the socio-economic conditions of agricultural labourers in Palghat district. The specific objectives of the study were 1. To study the level of education of agricultural labourers 2. To understand the extent of employment, under employment and unemployment 3. To study the wage rates and mode of payment of wages 4. To assess the level of income, expenditure, levels of living, savings, indebtedness and other aspects such as health, hygiene, aspirations, etc. Alathur and Chittur Blocks which are having the highest percentage of agricultural labourers in the district were selected for the study. One hundred agricultural labour households were selected from four villages belonging to two Panchayaths each from a Block, adopting a three stage random sampling. Unlike other parts of the country where the majority of agricultural labourers belonged to scheduled castes, only 23 per cent of the selected households belonged to scheduled castes. Seventy three per cent belonged to Ezhava and the rest to Muslim communities. The sex ratio worked out for the sample as a whole was 992 which was quite contradictory to the pattern for the district as well as the State. The average family size for the sample as a whole was found to be 5. The lowest income group had the lowest family size and the highest income group had the highest family size. It was found that 55.2 per cent of the population in the selected households constituted the potential labour force but only 49.4 per cent constituted the actual working labour force. The percentage of literacy of members in the age groups of six years and above was 52.01 which was below that of the district as well as the State. The per-centage of literacy of females was less than males at all levels of education. For the sample as a whole the average number of earners worked out as 2.47 and the dependency ratio was 1.02. Average annual employment per household for the sample as a whole was found to be 170.65 man days of which 77.5 per cent was in agriculture. The average annual employment per worker was found to be 79.45 man days which was very low. The severe drought which affected the crop during the reference period, large scale use of tractors, fragmentation of land, use of high yielding varieties, labour saving tactics of farmers, etc. were the possible reasons identified for the low level of employment per person. The months of Karkkitakam and Chingam were identified as the lean months and the months Edavam, Kanni and Tulam were identified as peak months as far as employment in agriculture is concerned. Nearly 80 per cent of the workers received employment for less than 120 days which indicated that the bulk of the workers remained unemployed for about 8 months in a year. It was also found that none of the workers was fully employed; 1.4 per cent of them was moderstely under employed, 98.6 per cent was severely under employed. The average level of under employment for the sample as a whole was 66.37 per cent of the total available man days. Under employment per man unit was 66.41 per cent of the total available man days per man unit. It was also found that 10.51 per cent of the potential labour force was unemployed. The wage rates of labourers ranged from Rs.10/- to Rs.15/- in the case of males and Rs.5/- to Rs.7/- in the case of females for employment in agriculture. Fon non-agricultural workers the rates ranged from Rs.10/- to Rs.20/- for males and Rs.5/- to Rs.8/- for females. There was striking wage differentials between men and women in both agricultural and non-agricultural employment. Payments made in kind ranged from 6 to 10 edangazhis of paddy for male and 5 to 8 edangazhis of paddy for females. Harvesting is paid exclusively in kind and the share of the land lord and the labourer ranged from 7: 1 to 6: 1. It was observed that the increase in the real wages of agricultural labourers during the period from 1971-72 to 1981-82 was only marginal. For the sample as a whole roughly 80 per cent of the total income accrued from wage employment; 57 per cent from agricultural and 14 per cent from non-agricultural employment. The rest was from other sources. The average per capita annual income for the sample as a whole was Rs.472.39. The per capita per day income was found to be Rs.1.29 and per day income per adult consumption unit was Rs.1.52. It was also observed that there was inequality in the distribution of income. On an average the households spent Rs.2925.78 annually of which 62.2 per cent was on food items. It was found that as income increased the proportion of total expenditure on food increased at first and then started declining. No correlation was observed in the case of non-food items to changes in income. The per capita per day consumption expenditure ranged from Rs.1.25 to Rs.2.01, the average for the sample as a whole being Rs.1.54. The consumption expenditure per day per consumption unit was Rs.1.82 for the sample as a whole. It was also found that all the households in sample were below poverty line. The per household income was found to be insufficient to meet the per household consumption expenditure in any of the income groups except in income group I5. Negative saving was noticed in 94 per cent of the households. The deficit per household for the sample as a whole was Rs.503.05. On an average for the sample as a whole indebtedness per family and per capita were found to be Rs.832.30 and Rs.166.45 respectively. Indebtedness per household or per capita did not show any correlation to changes in the per household income. The highest percentage of indebtedness was found to be incurred for meeting consumption expenses followed by social and religious functions. Ninety eight per cent of the houses of the labourers was found to be kutcha ones. Seventy two per cent was tiled and the rest thatched. On an average the number of rooms available per household was 2.62. It was found that all the selected households had accessibility to hospitals at distance ranging from less than 1 km to more than 2 km. Only two per cent of the households had their own source of drinking water and the rest had to depend on public taps, public or private wells and tanks. Similarly only 2 per cent of households had latrines. The number of man days lost due to disesees per family was found to be 4.44. Only the days lost during peak seasons were taken into account. It was observed that 77 per cent of the respondents preferred to have a days rest during a week. With regard to the educational aspirations of respondents for their children the majority of them desired high school education for their sons and daughters. As far as occupational aspirations are concerned 40.58 per cent desired government service for their sons while 37.68 per cent had no definite opinion. For female children 39.59 per cent aspired government service while 52.08 per cent had no definite opinion. It was found that 71 per cent of the respondents had membership in trade union organisations. The Kerala State Karshaka Thozhilali Union was found to be the most powerful trade union organisation absorbing 69 per cent of the respondents as its members.