Mechanisation of paddy cultivation in the vast tracts of ‘kaipad' in the district seemed to be a tall order as the organic cultivation of rice in the brackish water fields requires manual labour and use of traditional implements. The dream has now become a reality with the development of a modified ridger for preparation of mounds that is the most difficult part of farmhands' work.
Efforts launched by Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) a decade ago to rejuvenate the kaipad areas got a shot in the arm with the development of the ridger that will replace the manual preparation of the mounds.
The ridger has been developed by the university's College of Agriculture, Padannakkad, and Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology (KCAET), Thavanur.
Mound preparation is done in April-May by workers who are experts in the task. Using spade-like implements, they start the work early in the morning and finish it by 10 a.m. before the sun starts blazing down. Acute shortage of the workers is one of the major factors that force the farmers to leave the fields fallow.
The machine for the mound preparation is a tractor attached to a ridger developed by the KCAET under the leadership of P.R. Jayan, Associate Professor, as part of the college's ‘Development of innovative farm mechanisation package for Kerala' scheme funded by the State Planning board.
“It is a dream come true for the kaipad area farmers, and the introduction of mechanisation is expected to give a fresh impetus to rice cultivation under the traditional kaipad system,” T. Vanaja, Assistant Professor at the College of Agriculture says. She is also the principal investigator of the college project ‘Comprehensive development of kaipad rice tract under organic management through farmers participatory approach' that is funded by the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna and the Paddy Mission.
Dr. Vanaja hopes the next venture to facilitate mechanisation of the kaipad areas is a machine for dismantling the mounds and for harvesting.
Dr. Vanaja says the farmers in the kaipad areas years ago brought to the KAU's notice problems that needed to be tackled to encourage farming. Realising the importance of kaipad farming in ensuring food security, nutritional security, water security, and environmental protection, the KAU started its research in 2003. The development of high-yielding varieties for the salinity-prone fields was an important research initiative that led to the release of Ezhome-1 and Ezhome-2 varieties. They were released for commercial cultivation last year.
Effort to create more genetic diversity in the kaipad fields through the development of more high-yielding varieties is on. College of Agriculture Associate Dean M. Govindhan is involved with the project.
The shortage of the farmhands has been solved to a great extent with the formation of the Food Security Army (FSA), groups of trained workers, under the Malabar Kaipad Farmers' Society. Four FSAs comprising 20 members each have been formed in the traditional kaipad panchayats in the district — Ezhome, Pattuvam, Cherukunnu and Kannapuram.
Society authorities say the front office of the FSA units will be inaugurated in the four panchayats on May 28. The objective of the society is to increase the area under rice cultivation in the kaipad tracts, and procurement, processing, and marketing of kaipad rice, they say.
