Abstract:
Soil moisture stress during summer is a major factor limiting higher crop productivity in Kerala State
of India. The irrigated area in the State is only 18 % of the net sown area. The average productivity
of many plantation crops is low, compared to the other regions of the country. For increasing
crop productivity and net returns of farmers in Kerala, it is necessary to overcome crop water
deficit by adopting scientific irrigation management. Under this study, 200 progressive farmers
cultivating various upland crops in different agro ecological zones of Kerala were interviewed
using a semi-structured questionnaire on irrigation management practices adopted by them. The
irrigation schedule adopted by the farmers was compared with the recommendations for various
crops, and accordingly, their innovativeness with regard to the quantity of water application and
irrigation interval was analyzed. The irrigation methods adopted were also studied. The results
revealed that even though a good proportion of coconut and arecanut farmers irrigate at intervals
specified in the recommendations for the crops, majority of them are not applying quantity of water
according to the recommendation. As far as irrigation methods are concerned, most of the arecanut
and coconut farmers practice basin irrigation, which is a good method for these crops. A good
proportion of coffee and cardamom farmers adopt scientific irrigation scheduling and improved
irrigation methods like sprinkler, which may be attributed to the remunerative market price of
the produce and better extension support available for them. The importance of profitability in
farming for adopting scientific irrigation practices is evident from the study. Adoption of water
saving drip irrigation by the farmers is insignificant, even when financial subsidy is provided by
the Agriculture Department for promoting this irrigation technique.
