Part II

Monitoring Survey (1999-2000)

     Monitoring Survey was conducted in the areas of 45 completed Minor Irrigation Schemes in 1999-2000. The results of the Monitoring Surveys has been
compared with that of the Baseline Surveys in the Scheme areas and the Summary of Findings are given below:

Ayacut and Farmers

     The ayacut of 45 Minor Irrigation Schemes spreads over 884.3 hectares possessed by 2420 farmers (Table I). The average size of holding of a farmer turned out to be 0.36 ha. The operational holdings of 80.8 per cent of the farmers was less than 0.5 ha.

Table I
Ayacut and Farmers Benefited

                                                          (N = 45)

Size of Holding(Ha.)	Area(Ha)	Farmers(No.)	Average size(Ha.)
< 0.5	458.2	1956	0.23
> 0.5	426.1	464	0.92
Total	884.3	2420	0.36

Irrigation

     The irrigation facilities provided under the ayacut at the time of baseline survey was hardly 20 per cent. With the completion of the schemes, cent per cent ayacut was irrigated in 26 schemes and more than 80 per cent in 6 schemes. The water table in the areas of most of the completed schemes has risen and there was sufficient water in the wells during the summer season. This in turn helped to solve the drinking water problems of the households residing near the ayacut areas.

Cropped Area

    The area under paddy accounted for 63 per cent of the total cropped area of the selected farmers in virippu and 57 per cent in the mundakan season. There was a decline in area under paddy by 9.3 per cent in the ayacut of Minor Irrigation
Schemes. The reasons for decline in area under paddy were many and varied. With stable price of paddy and its high cost of cultivation the farmers began to convert the paddy lands to coconut. Other reasons reported were the increase in the absentee cultivators, non-availability of labour for timely agricultural operations and water logging. On the other hand, the area under other crops increased - coconut by 14 per cent, arecanut by 16.8 per cent, banana by 98 per cent and tapioca by 109 per cent. Area under vegetables also increased .


Cropping Intensity

     The overall cropping intensity index in the 45 M. I. Scheme areas marginally increased from 164.7 (at the time of baseline survey) to 166.7 in 1999-2000 ( Table II ). The cropping intensity index was found to be more than what is required for the minor irrigation works in Kerala (150). Out of 45 schemes, increase in cropping intensity was recorded in 26 schemes. The cropping intensity index in these scheme areas increased from 168.3 to 180.0. In the areas of 17 schemes the cropping intensity decreased as compared to the baseline level. The cropping intensity index declined from 165.4 to 139.0. However in the areas of 2 schemes viz. Vennannoorthodu and Kalthingal Aru there was no substantial change in the intensity of cropping.
     
   Back up Services which include supply of raw materials, provision of tools and equipment, introduction of new technology, provision of common work places and service centres, and common facilities. Large scale construction works or infrastructural development schemes are not envisaged under Special Central Assistance.

Table. II
Cropping Intensity Index

     Increase in cropping intensity was made possible with double cropping of paddy and cultivation of vegetables as the third crop in the ayacut. In the areas of 17 schemes the cropping intensity increased with the cultivation of vegetables in the ayacut ( Table III ). The increase in the area under virippu and mundakan paddy contributed to increase in cropping intensity in 6 scheme areas. However in the areas of 3 schemes the increase in area under tree crops contributed to the increase in cropping intensity. The reasons for decline in cropping intensity was attributed to conversion of paddy area into tree crops in 5 scheme areas, decline in paddy area because of paucity of labour for agricultural operations in 10 schemes and keeping fallow paddy fields due to absentee landlords in the 2 scheme areas.

Productivity of Crops

Paddy

     The overall productivity per ha of virippu paddy increased by 10 per cent and that of mundakan by 25 per cent in 1999 - 2000 as compared to the baseline survey period ( Table IV ). The productivity per ha of paddy in many of the scheme areas was found to be higher than the State average figures of 2081 kg/ha for virippu and 2203 kg/ha for mundakan 1999-2000. An analysis of the scheme - wise productivity of paddy revealed that in virippu there was an average increase in productivity by 32 per cent in the areas of 29 schemes. During the mundakan season, 37 per cent increase in productivity of paddy was recorded in 36 schemes.           

B L S - Baseline Survey. S S - Seasonal Survey ( 1999 - 2000 ).

     The increase in the productivity of Mundakan paddy was cent per cent or more in the areas of Mavicherrythodu(176%) Chempakamangalam (141%), Thiruvandanchira(120%) and Paichal (100%). The increase in productivity of paddy was more than 70% in Muringottukonam(90%), Kanai (77%) and Kolera (72%) and it was more than 50% in five scheme areas viz.Puthiyakavilchira (68%), Illickalchira and Chullikkottukulam (67%), Chirayil (66%) and Parathodu (62%).

     The decreasing productivity of paddy in the Viruppu season was recorded in the M I Scheme areas of Perumannoor, Pathikkottu, Ayiravallikonam, Korangattukulam, Thiruvandanchira, Vallakkadavu, Valiyeri, Nedumthodu, Kunnumvayalthodu and Muthalappara. The reasons for low productivity of paddy as compared to the baseline level are pest attacks and untimely rains at the time of harvesting of the crop. The decline of productivity of paddy in the Mundakan season as compared to the baseline level was recorded mainly in the scheme areas of Perumannoor, Chembayilthodu, Karingappara, Vallakkadavu, Kalavappadam, Nedumthodu and Kunnumvayalthodu.

Tree Crops

     The average productivity of coconut grown in the areas of 37 schemes was 9761 nuts/ha during the baseline survey period. It increased to 13445 nuts per/ha in 1999-2000 ( Table V ). The growth rate in productivity was 38 per cent. Arecanut was cultivated in 46.82 ha in 18 Minor Irrigation schemes most of which are located in Kannur and Kasaragod districts. The increase in productivity of arecanut was 50 per cent.

Table V
Productivity of Tree Crops

Variation	Coconut				Arecanut
	No. of Schemes	Productivity (Nuts/ha)		% Change	No. of Schemes	Productivity (Nuts/ha)		% Change
		BLS	S S			BLS	SS
Increase	31	9224	12159	32	15	1172	2652	126
Decrease	4	12340	11967	3	3	1698	1379	19
Total	37*	9761	13445	38	18	1441	2164	50126

* In two schemes there was no change in the productivity
B L S - Baseline Survey. S S - Seasonal Survey ( 1999 - 2000 ).

Annual & Seasonal Crops

     Cultivation of tapioca was confined to 17.73 ha in the ayacut of 17 Minor Irrigation schemes ( Table VI ) and its average increase in productivity was 14 per cent. The average increase in productivity of banana cultivated in 16.73 ha. in the ayacut of 28 Minor Irrigation Schemes was 120 per cent. As per baseline survey, the area under vegetables was only 5 ha. Its area increased substantially to 42.52 ha in 1999-2000. The productivity of vegetables increased from 1910 kg/ha to 9580 kg/ha during the above period.

Table VI
Productivity of Annual Crops

Variation	Coconut				Arecanut
	No. of Schemes	Productivity (Kg/ha)		% Change	No. of Schemes	Productivity (Kg/ha)		% Change
		BLS	S S			BLS	SS
Increase	26	5946	15979	168	15	10541	12610	20
Decrease	2	43776	12278	72	2	11438	9835	14
Total	28	7091	15607	120	17	10663	12162	14

B L S - Baseline Survey. S S - Seasonal Survey ( 1999 - 2000 )

Extension Services

     The extension services provided by the Krishi Bhavan was better in the scheme areas . Sixty eight percent of the farmers during the seasonal survey reported that the Krishi Bhavan officials visited the scheme areas as compared to 63.5 per cent during the baseline survey period.

Table VII
Extension Support by Krishi Bhavan

Farmers	Percentage Reporting Visit of Krishi Bhavan Officials
	Baseline Survey	Seasonal Survey
< 0.5 ha	63.1	65.7
> 0.5 ha	64.8	70.4
Total	63.5	68.0