Crop Shifts and Remedies: Socio Economic Problems and Health Hazards of Rubber Farmers

Abstract

Agriculture is the main economic activity of Kerala, accounting for 45 percent of the state’s income and 48 percent of total employment. Kerala’s agriculture stands out as unique in the Indian agriculture scene and has many distinctive features. The agricultural population, with its fixed outlook and attitude, is a great stabilization influence in the social and political spheres. Nearly 85 percent of the total cropped areas in the state were used for the cultivation of 11 major crops. The major portion of Kerala’s population depends for its livelihood on cash crops, mainly coconut and rubber since, during the last few decades, rubber has emerged as the more profitable crop and the second largest in terms of the cropped area. Kerala produces 92 percent of India’s natural rubber. Kerala and Tamil Nadu together occupy 86 percent of the growing area of natural rubber. This topic has, therefore, a great social significance and is current in its relevance. The objectives included in the study are to analyze the socio-economic problems of rubber farmers, to find out the shift in cropping due to price fluctuations of rubber, to understand the health problems of rubber farmers, and to recommend suggestions for solving the problems of rubber farmers.