Benefit Cost Ratio of Integrated Farming in Kerala-An Analysis during the Trying Times of Covid-19

Abstract

The article divulges the findings of the estimations of the Benefit –Cost Ratio of the integrated farming in Kerala done during pressing period of the Pandemic Covid-19.The study was based on the primary data collected from six agro-ecological zones in Kerala namely Onattukara, Southern Midlands, Northern Midlands, Malayoram, Riverbank Alluvium and High Ranges. Though integrated farming was an age-old practice both in India and Kerala, It gained a distinct gesticulation from 1968 onwards as integrated farming was started to practise under the auspices of the Integrated Farming Systems Research Station (IFSRS) located at Nedumcaud in the district of Thiruvananthapuram, which was established in 1955.The findings of the research can be pointed out as (a)  The extensive homestead farming had the highest benefit cost ratio in riverbank alluvium with 2.6 and similar result in Onattukara with 2.52 (b) The lowest among the extensive homestead farming was in southern midlands. (c) Monoculture/ plantation model had a benefit cost ratio of 2.04 in high ranges and 1.70 in Malayoram (d) The rice/ fish model had a benefit cost ratio of 2.44 in northern midlands, 1.61 in southern midlands and 1.31 in riverbank alluvium (f) For the coconut/ tree based model, the benefit cost ratio was 2.36 in southern midlands, 1.95 for northern midlands and 1.33 in riverbank alluvium. (g) The benefit cost ratio was the highest for the rice/ fish model with 2.77 and least in the model of coconut/ tree based with 1.26. In the case of the model of livestock oriented one, the benefit cost ratio was the highest in northern midlands with 1.98 and lowest among riverbank alluvium with 1.4. (h)  The farmers who belonged to the category of those who had medium-size of land, had comparatively high benefit cost ratio rate as per the models used in the study. However, all the three types of farmers had economic viability in general. The study had found out that the farmers with extensive homestead farming had highest labour cost and the total cost ratio was 31 per cent and it was low in the model of Monoculture or Plantation with 1.8 per cent.