Harmonising Hydrology and Livelihoods: A Zonal Crop Calendar Framework for the Thrissur Kole Wetlands
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25175/jrd/2025/v44/i4/174003Keywords:
Kole Wetlands, Zonal Crop Calendar, Participatory Planning, MGNREGS Convergence, Climate Resilience, PadasekharamAbstract
The Thrissur Kole Wetlands, a Ramsar site and a critical rice bowl of Kerala, face increasing agronomic instability due to climate variability and hydrological misalignment. This study addresses the persistent disconnect between traditional agricultural schedules and the hydrological realities of the region, which frequently results in crop loss due to unseasonal floods and pest resurgence. Adopting a participatory action research framework, the study mapped the hydrological behaviour of 197 Padasekharams (farming clusters) and engaged 150 stakeholders in zonal workshops to co-create a scientific Zonal Crop Calendar. The proposed framework stratifies the wetlands into elevation-sensitive zones (Upper and Lower Kole) with phased sowing windows. Field validation during the 2023–24 season demonstrated that Padasekharams adhering to this calendar recorded a 10–15% increase in grain yield and a significant reduction in chaffy grains by avoiding heat-stress windows during flowering. The paper argues that for these agronomic gains to be scalable, the Zonal Crop Calendar must be institutionalised within the District Planning Committee’s framework. Furthermore, it recommends the strategic convergence of MGNREGS labour budgets with the calendar’s pre-sowing maintenance schedule to ensure timely canal desilting and bund strengthening, thereby securing livelihoods against climate risks.
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