Ecosystem services approach to the interlinkages between kole wetland farming and human wellbeing in Kerala

Abstract

In a world of urbanization, the availability of agricultural land is decreasing and the use of excessive chemicals in agriculture has become a global trend to overcome it. As a result, agro-ecosystem services have been drastically altered. It is crucial to understand the wellbeing of paddy farmers who depend on this agro-ecosystem for their livelihoods. This study investigates the role of wetland agro-ecosystem services in achieving wellbeing of the farmers living in and around the paddy fields. The primary purpose of this research is to explore the mediating role of wetland ecosystem services to obtain different dimensions of wellbeing of the farmers. The objectives of this study include examining the dynamics of paddy land use, analysing the impact of paddy farming practices on different paddy wetland ecosystem services, and assessing their influence on the wellbeing of paddy farmers. A mixed methods approach has been adopted, combining quantitative and qualitative survey data collected from 393 farmer households residing around the Kole wetland area in Thrissur district of Kerala state. To measure the dynamics of paddy land use in Kerala based on land use pattern and cropping pattern, 40 years of time series data have been examined and it has been found that initially paddy fields were converted to perennial crops such as coconut, banana, and rubber and later converted to non-agricultural purposes. It has been found that the same pattern of conversion is observed in the entire Thrissur district and especially in the Kole wetland area. The assessment using CAGR and the Cuddy Della Valle Index found that productivity is increasing in Kerala even as the area under paddy cultivation is decreasing. But productivity is decreasing in the Kole wetlands, even as the area under paddy cultivation has been increasing in recent times. By using the revised Cobb-Douglas production function and cost-benefit analysis, study reveals that although rice farming is profitable, intensive farming practices negatively affect ecological efficiency and also follows diminishing returns in farming. It has been found that the loss of ecological balance via excess chemical input use has led to the trade off between provisioning and regulating services while synergy between regulating and cultural services. The study has constructed an Ecosystem Services Trade off supply and Demand Index to assess the supply potential and benefit perception of ecosystem services. It has been found that the expected benefits from ecosystem services exceed supply, leading to overuse of wetlands beyond their capacity. Using the Structural Equation Modelling, the study has found the integration of paddy farming as capabilities and their associated ecosystem services to be played a significant role in achieving well being of the farmers. The study partially endorses Sen’s Capability approach and concludes that paddy farming and the mediating influence of wetland ecosystem services play a critical role in achieving well being to the farmers. The study limited to Kole Wetlands alone, but there exists a scope for comparative analysis with dry lands and future research should explore the nexus between capability-ecosystem-well being under similar ecological conditions across all states.