The Rationalization of Agriculture in Kerala: Implications for the Natural Environment, Agro-ecosystems and Livelihoods

This article addresses an older debate which held that the agricultural transformation in the regional economy of Kerala has been mainly driven by ‘peasant rationality’. It is argued in this article that the agrarian transformation driven by peasant rationality has created a dichotomous agrarian society in the state, with a genre of rich farmers who have significantly benefited by the ‘rational’ switch over to commercial agriculture and another segment of subsistence farmers who have been marginalized by the agricultural development process. The article argues that the agricultural development process driven by ‘peasant rationality’ has several ramifications for the sustainable future of Kerala’s agricultural economy. To substantiate this, the article critically examines the agricultural development experience of the state over the past six decades and brings out the impasse affecting the agricultural sector in the emerging context of growing market uncertainties and other challenges confronting the agro-ecosystems and natural environments.