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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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ThesisItem Open Access Investment pattern in rural households of Ollukkara Block Panchayath in Thrissur District(Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2002) Pratheesh, V.S.; KAU; Thomas, E.K.Agriculture which is the back bone of Indian economy, is now heading towards a radical transformation. When the green revolution technology was introduced in the mid sixties, great expectations were raised as to the beneficial effects it could induce into every class of farmers and other sectors of the populations by increasing food production, employment opportunities and income levels. But its latter day performances have belied these expectations and it seemed that only those who have necessary absorptive capacity or infrastructure are only benefited. So for the betterment of agriculture there should be more and more investment both in the public and private sector. Under these circumstances the present study entitled "Investment Pattern in rural households of Ollukkara block panchayath in Thrissur district" is of high relevance and was conducted with the following objectives. 1. To study the different sources of income of rural people 2. To examine the savings and expenditure pattern 3. To analyze the nature of investment 4. To identify the constraints associated with investment in rural areas. The study was conducted in the sample selected at random from 50 numbers of Agricultural labourers, farmers and service sector people from the five wards selected from the total 74 wards in the Ollukkara block panchayath of Thrissur district. The data for the agricultural year 2001-2002 were collected using a well structured interview schedule. The study revealed that the mainsource of farm income in farmers and service sector people was crops where as for labourers it was livestock. On an average 81. 9 5 per cent of the total farm income was directed from the crops and only 18,95 was from livestock. Category wise analysis showed that net income and benefit cost ratio were much higher for labourer households and lowest for service sector people. 141 At the aggregate level, consumption expenditure accounted for 78.91 per cent, and the rest 21.09 per cent was for farm expenditure. Of the total, 78.09 per cent of farm expenditure was incurred for crops and only 21.91 per cent was made for livestock. The Category wise analysis showed that per household savings was highest for the service sector people followed by farmers and labourers. With respect to the gross farm investment, purchase of livestock was the most important item of investment followed by investment on land improvement, purchase of irrigation appliances, construction and repair of farm buildings and digging and repair of wells. The average rate of farm investment was only 1.53 per cent while the non farm investment was at the rate of 5.41 per cent. Lack of employment, High cost of living, and high loan out standing were reported as the most important constraint for investment along with constraints like non availability of labour, lack of irrigation etc.ThesisItem Open Access Economics analysis of rice - fish sequential farming system In the low lying paddy fields of Kuttanad,Kerala(Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2001) Shanat Mathew, K; KAU; Joseph, K JThe present study on "Economic analysis of rice-fish sequential farming system in the low lying paddy fields of Kuttanad, Kerala" was aimed to analyse comparative economics of rice monocropping and rice-fish sequential farming systems, to quantity the employment generation capacity of the integrated system and to identify the constraints in the wide spread adoption of rice-fish sequential farming system. The study was undertaken during May - July 2000 and the data pertains to the year 1999. Data for the study was generated through sample survey of farmers by personal interview method using a pretested structured interview schedule. The study was conducted with a sample of 100 farmers for each system of cultivation. Two stage random sampling was adopted for the study. Tabular analysis was used to analyse the data. The cost of cultivation (cost C3) of rice under monocropping (Rs.23419.47 per hectare) and of rice under sequential farming system (Rs.1972S.31 per hectare) Was estimated. For fish, the cost of cultivation per hectare was Rs.6768.39. The major expenditure on input for rice cultivation under both systems and for fish was human labour. In rice monocropping, land preparation was observed to be the most expensive operation, whereas, in sequential farming weeding was the most expensive operation. In the case of fish cultivation, harvesting of fish turned out to be the most cost consuming operation. Gross income per hectare realized from the main as well as by product at the aggregate level was Rs.2S252.50, Rs.28371.00, and Rs.8782.95 for rice (monocropping), rice (sequential farming) and fish respectively. Cost of production per quintal of rice (monocropping) was Rs.64S.16 and for rice (sequential farming) was Rs.482.0S. For fish, cost of production per quintal of fish estimated to be Rs.1538.62. Benefi t cost ratio at cost C3 was found to be highest (1.44) in the rice cultivation under sequential farming. The corresponding figures for rice monocropping and fish were 1.08 and 1.30 respectively. This new system could provide on additional employment of 14.31 mandays per hectare. Even though this new integrated systems was profitable, lack of finance and non co-operation among farmers to an extend hinder the adoption of this practice. The major constraints experienced by the farmers in the cultivation were also identified.ThesisItem Open Access Economic Analysis Of Production And Marketing Of Vegetables In Thiruvananthapuram District(Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Horticulture,Vellanikkara, 2001) Nagesh, S S; KAU; Rageena, SThe present study on "Economic analysis of production and marketing of vegetables in Thiruvananthapuram district" was conducted with a view to examine the costs and returns of vegetable cultivation, employment generation, marketing efficiency, technical efficiency and problems encountered in production and marketing of vegetables. A comparative study of vegetable growers of KHDP and IVDP was also carried out. The data pertains to the year 1999-2000. The total explicit costs for IVDP and KHDP snakegourd growers were Rs. 62711.60 and Rs. 61448.40 respectively. Total implicit cost was worked out at Rs. 64956.90 and Rs. 58140.20 respectively for IVDP and KHDP growers. Bitter gourd was the only crop, which recorded a benefit-cost ratio higher than one at cost C3. The total cost of cultivation (Cost C3) ranged from the lowest of Rs. 64313.70 for amaranth us to as high as Rs. 134135.60 for bittergourd. Bittergourd was the most remunerative crop in the area with a gross return of Rs. 206065.20 for KHDP and a benefit cost ratio of 1.53 at cost C3. Cost of organic manure occupied the highest share of the total cost of cultivation of all the three crops. The KHDP bittergourd growers showed an estimated mean technical efficiency of 80 per cent and for IVDP growers it was 71 per cent. In the study area most of the vegetable producers marketed their produce in the markets in Thiruvananthapuram city. The marketing efficiency was highest for bittergourd (l.99) followed by snake gourd (l.31) and amaranthus (0.83). The major constraints experienced in cultivation were incidence of pests and diseases, unavailability of quality seeds at reasonable cost, lack of credit availability and lack of .marketing facilities.ThesisItem Open Access Production and marketing systems of vetiver : a micro-level analysis in Thrissur district(Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2002) Deepakumar, V S; KAU; Satheesh Babu, KThe present study entitled " Production and marketing systems of vetiver : a micro-level analysis in Thrissur district" was conducted with the objective of working out the cost of production and returns of vetiver cultivation, to study the marketing channels, and to identify production and marketing problems encountered by vetiver growers of the area. The data pertains to the period from January 2000 to December 2000. Eighty commercial farmers who cultivated vetiver for more than three years were selected at random, and the information required for the study were collected by personal interview using a structured, pre-tested schedule of enquiry . • The cost of cultivating one hectare of vetiver was worked out to Rs. 117975, Rs. 101760 and Rs. 93533 at cost C3 for the category I (less than 0.50 ha), category 11 (0.50 - l.0 ha) and category III (more than l.0 ha) farmers respectively. Organic manures constituted the major item of expenditure, constituting 29 per cent of the paid out cost. This was followed by expenditure on hired human labour, which accounted for 26 per cent of the explicit cost. The cost of production of one kilogram of dry vetiver root at cost C3 were Rs. 12.27, Rs. 12.77 Rs. 6.85 and Rs. 1l.57 respectively for the cat~gories I, 11, III and the sample as a whole. On an average vetiver farmer had a gross income of Rs. 126644 per hectare. The net income for the three categories of farmers were Rs. 2931, Rs. 14352 and Rs. 90998 per hectare for the categories I, 11 and III respectively. The BCR estimated at cost C3 were found to be more than unity for the entire category of farmers. The entire marketing system was organized in the private sector. The Producer - Wholesaler - Processor - Consumer, and Producer - Wholesaler - Drug Dealer - Consumer were the two major marketing channels identified in the area. The economic efficiency of marketing measured by the modified Shepherd's Index indicated that both local and interstate markets were efficient, with a value of more than unity. The main production related constraints were non-availability of institutional credit and dependency on private money lenders, increase in rental charges of land and escalating fuel charges for the irrigation system. Year-to-year fluctuation of vetiver root price, delayed settlement of transactions and risk of losing weight during storage were the major marketing related problems .ThesisItem Open Access Economic analysis of production and marketing of cashew nut in Kerala(Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2001) Shibu, Sebastian; KAU; Jessy, Thomas KThe present study on the economic analysis of production and marketing of cashewnut in Kerala was aimed to examine the supply response of cashew nuts, to study the marketing channels and margins and to identify the constraints experienced by the producers in the production and marketing of cashew nuts. The growth rate analysis using exponential function revealed that during the whole period under study (1952-53 to 1999-2000), the area under cashew expanded by 2.22 per cent per annum. Period wise analysis showed a significant increase in area by 5.97 per cent per annum in the first period followed by a decline by 1.82 per cent in the second period (1976-77 to 1999-2000). Regarding production, a low growth rate of 0.02 per cent per annum was observed during the whole period while the first period registered a growth rate of 3.76 per cent per annum and a decline by 1.18 per cent in the second period. But the productivity showed a decrease by 2.11 per cent in the whole period. The first sub- period registered a decline in productivity by 2.08 per cent while the second period recorded a slight increase by 0.87 per cent per annum. The analysis using linked exponential model also yielded more or less similar results. The producers' response to price and non price factors was examined by studying the response in terms of area and yield. The analysis revealed that the price of cashew did not have a significant impact on yield, while the relative yield showed a positive and significant influence on yield. The relative price and the price of rubber showed a significant influence on area under cashew. The annual maintenance cost at the aggregate level was computed to Rs.7709.77 per hectare. The material cost was worked out to Rs.1765.89 and labour cost was computed to Rs.5943.88. The gross and net returns per hectare at the aggregate level was worked out to Rs.21427 and RS.13717.23 respectively. The major marketing channels identified in the study were 'Producer-village trader-primary wholesaler-secondary wholesaler-processor', 'Producer-primary wholesaler-secondary wholesaler-processor' and 'Producer-secondary wholesaler-processor'. The producers' net share in the processors' revenue was estimated to 48.26, 48.58 and 48.92 per cent respectively in marketing channels I, II and Ill. Marketing efficiency indices for channels I, II and III were computed to 1.86, 1.88 and 1.90 respectively. The constraint analysis revealed that pests, diseases and low price of the produce were the most important problems faced by the producers in the study area.ThesisItem Open Access Economics of commercial production and utilisation of medicinal rice (Oryza sativa L.) Njavara(Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2003) Jayakumar, V; KAU; Indira Devi, PThe present study on the economics of commercial production and utilization of medicinal rice, njavara was conducted ill Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram and Wayanad districts, with the objective of assessing the economics of production and .. marketing prospects of njavara and documenting the Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) associated with its cultivation and use. The required information was collected from a sample of 60 njavara farmers from the above four districts by personal interview method using well structured, pre- tested questionnaire. The marketing aspects were studied by contacting producers, market intermediaries and end users, by personal in.erview method. The Indigenous Technical Knowledge were gathered from the producers, traditional vaidyas, ayurvedic medical practitioners and elderly people in the locality. The data collection was conducted during April- July 2003 . The cost of cultivation of njavara (Cost C3) was estimated as Rs.14059/hectare.The district wise analysis revealed that it was the highest for Malappuram and lowest for Palakkad, whereas in class wise analysis it was higher for • class I than class II The cost incurred on seeds was Rs.1860.87/hectare. Human labour was the highest single item of expenditure. The average labour use per hectare of njavara . cultivation was 72.50 man days/hectare. Female labour constituted a major share of total labour use. On an average it was 56.55 days/hectare during a crop cycle. Except land preparation all major activities are carried out by wemen. Post harvest operations demand the highest labour use. But, land preparation is the most expensive activity, as the wage rate for men was higher than that of the women. Nearly one fourth of the total cost was for this. Average yield from njavara crop was found to be much less than other rice varieties (1528.25 kg/hectare). It is only 70 percentage of the average yield of rice in the state. The yield in Palakkad and Malappuram districts were higher than the other two. Large farms enjoyed better yield The grain to straw yield was in the ratio of 1 :2.5. The Gross income from the crop was found to be RS.28928/ha. Farm business income, the most relevant from the farmer's' point of view was more in PaIakkad district (Rs.30416/hectare) compared to other districts. The same applies to all other income estimates. The farmers of Palakkad enjoy a net income of RS.23487/hectare while the average was Rs. 14849/hectare. The cost of production was Rs.7.68/kg.• Despite the lowest cost of cultivation, the cost of production was (at Cost Ci) highest in Wayanad (Rs.9.92/kg). The average benefit cost ratio based on cost C3was 2.03.1t was the highest for Palakkad (2.72) The marketable surplus accounted for 90.33 per cent (1380.50 kg/hectare) of the total produce and it increased with the increase in the size of holding. In the study area six major marketing channels were identified. Among this the most witlely adopted channel was I producer-s ayurvedic drug manufacturing unit (around 28 per cent). The Indigenous Technical Knowledge associated with the cultivation and use of the crop is compiled and listed.ThesisItem Open Access Impact of command area development authority (CADA): an economic analysis of Neyyar irrigation project(Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2004) Aswathy Vijayan; KAU; Satheesbabu, KWater is the most precious natural resource providing life-supporting system for plants, animals as well as human beings. The twentieth century witnessed a tremendous growth in the use of water resulting in a mismatch between per capita water availability and its use. It is against this background that the study entitled “Impact of Command Area Development Authority: An Economic Analysis of Neyyar Irrigation Project” was undertaken with the specific objectives of evaluating the socio-economic impact of Neyyar Irrigation Project in the command area and to identify the operational problems. The study was carried out during the year 2003-04. The study was based on primary as well as secondary data. A stratified random sampling method was employed to collect information from 60 beneficiary farmers from the head, middle and tail reaches, and 60 non-beneficiary farmers. The study revealed that while the beneficiary farmers devoted more cropped area under more water demanding crops, the non-beneficiaries gave less thrust on water demanding crops. The cropping intensity (115.68%) and gross area irrigated (81.35%) was more for beneficiaries when compared to non-beneficiaries. The crop productivity and gross margin of major crop enterprises like banana, coconut, and vegetables were higher for the beneficiary farmers than the non-beneficiaries. The increase in yield was 11.22 per cent for banana (Nendran), and 4.84 per cent for coconut. In vegetables also, the crop yield was higher for the beneficiaries. In the case of rain fed crops like tapioca, the crop yield was more for non-beneficiary farmers. The actual utilization index showed that the cumulative area actually brought under irrigation has increased from 53 per cent in 1985 to 75 percent in 2003. The Financial Self Sufficiency ratio showed that the revenue from water cess was recovering only 8 per cent of the operation and maintenance cost of the project. The financial analysis was carried out and which indicated the project was financially attractive with a benefit-cost ratio was estimated to 1.48, the NPV was Rs 43.12 lakhs, and the financial rate of return of 16 per cent. The economic analysis of the project by correcting the distortions on account of subsidies revealed that the project was economically attractive to the society with a benefit cost ratio of 5.66, a net present value of Rs 1018.31 lakh. The economic rate of returns on the irrigation investment was 35.47 per cent. The operational problems in on- farm irrigation were water scarcity in summer, improper maintenance of canals, lack of timely desiltation, unscientific channel construction and wastage of water and poor canal lining. There was no supply of water according to the crop requirement, and the system of rotational water supply (Warabandhi) was not practised.ThesisItem Open Access Market behaviour of important spices of Kerala(Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2003) Divya, K M; KAU; Jesy Thomas, KThe present study on the "Market behaviour of important spices of Kerala" was aimed to examine the trends in production and export of major spices, analyze the price behaviour and to measure trade competitiveness of major spice crops in Kerala viz. pepper, cardamom, ginger and turmeric in the context of liberalized trade regime. Both primary and secondary data had been used for the study. Growth rate analysis during the entire period (1971-2000) using different growth model revealed significant and positive growth in area, production and productivity of pepper and ginger. But in the case of cardamom and turmeric growth in production and productivity was significant and positive while in area it was negative though insignificant. Variability measurement using Coppock's instability index and coefficient of variation exhibited higher variation in production compared to area and productivity in all the crops studied except cardamom where productivity variation was high. A significant positive growth was shown in export quantity and value of pepper, ginger and turmeric during the entire period. In cardamom, growth was negative in both export quantity and value. Coefficient of variation exhibited a higher variation in export value compared to export quantity in all the spices. Comparison of growth in export performance during pre and post liberalization periods indicated a higher growth 111 export quantity and value during post liberalization period except for pepper. The comparison of item wise export and import during pre \VTO (1989-1995) and post WTO period (1996-2002) in value terms indicated that pepper was the major foreign exchange earner in both the periods followed by turmeric, ginger and cardamom. In pepper products, black pepper garbled was the major exporting item with a share of 65 per cent. Export earning from spices has increased three folds during post WTO period as that of pre WTO. The item wise import of all the spices increased in post WTO period and pepper contributed major value of import whereas it was cardamom during the pre WTO period. Since India contributed 80 per cent of world trade of turmeric its import to India is very less. Price behaviour of spices was analyzed by fitting linear trend for both domestic and international prices. Variability in prices were measured using coefficient of variation by splitting the time period as pre WTO (1988-1995) and post WTO (1996-2003) period. The results showed a higher growth in international prices compared to domestic prices in cardamom, ginger and turmeric. Comparison of coefficient of variation exhibited a lower variation in prices in post WTO period except for pepper. The measurement of trade competitiveness using Nominal Protection Coefficient during pre WTO (1988-1995) and post WTO (1996-2003) periods exhibited a value of less than one during the two periods and NPC was lesser in post WTO period indicating high competitiveness in cardamom, ginger and turmeric. In the case of pepper NPC remained the same in both the periods. The study on marketing aspects of the above spices among respondent farmers in Kattappana panchayat of Idukki district revealed that most of the farmers were depending on village merchant to sell their produce even though co-operative marketing societies and auction centres were there. The immediate need for money forced the farmers to sell their produce to village merchant. The farmers did not face much difficulty in marketing their produce and the major constraint faced by them was price fluctuation. Most of the farmers were aware of the quality standards stipulated for exporting of spices and were trying to reduce the level of chemicals used. The emphasis on value addition for export promotion as well as use of organic cultivation of spices appears to be a green signal for the bright future of spice trade in India.ThesisItem Open Access Capital formation in farm households of Kerala – a study in Nemom block panchayat of Thiruvananthapuram District(Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2002) Rani, G; KAU; Jesy, K ThomasThe present investigation on capital formation in farm households of Nemom Block Panchayat of Thiruvananthapuram district was aimed to assess the extent and nature of capital formation and to identify the constraints faced by farmers in capital formation. Two stage random sampling and stratified sampling in the third stage was adopted for the selection of 150 respondent farmers based on their size of holdings. The socio economic features, capital formation and constraints faced by farmers on the basis of income, expenditure, savings and asset structure of the farmers were studied using tabular analysis. Income from crop formed the major share of total farm income. Material expenditure and expenditure on feed formed the major share oftotal crop expenditure and livestock expenditure respectively. Out ofthe total investment in farm households, major share was occupied by land residential buildings. When land, residential buildings, vehicles and household durables were excluded, the asset structure showed that largest share of investment was on wells and tanks. The average gross capital formation in farm households was Rs.34450.44 and average net capital formation was Rs.3290.54. Major share of gross and net capital formation was on land improvement. The income, expenditure, savings, value of assets, gross capital formation and net capital formation increased with farm size. It was low (0.71) in the sample farm households because of the high value of existing asset structure. Among the Panchayats, the rate of capital formation was maximum in Kalliyoor, where farming was the major source of income of majority of sample respondents. High wage rate was the most important constraint faced by farmers followed by high cost of living. Non - availability of labour, low product price, incidence of pest and diseases, lack of interest and negative attitude of younger generation towards farming were also identified as major obstacles in capital formation in sample farm households.