Economics of Land Development in Canal Commands: A Study of Surface Irrigation Systems in Kerala, India

This book examines the inter-face between the apparently divergent processes of irrigation and agricultural development in Kerala state and its implications on land development and water management practices, especially, adoption of On-Farm Development both at the system as well as farm levels. It offers a convincing explanation for the dismal performance of irrigation systems in the state in the context of cropping pattern changes from irrigated crops, mainly, paddy to dry/ perennial cash crops. As irrigation systems in Kerala are designed for rice, the decline in rice area resulted in the poor performance of irrigation systems.