000			01946nam a2200133 4500
008			250624b |||||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
100			_aNavitha Raj
245			_aAssessment of vegetable crop diversity and its determinants in special agricultural zones for vegetables in Kerala
300			_aP 290-296
520			_aThe vegetable crop diversity index and its contributing factors among vegetable growers in the special agricultural zones (SAZs) of Kerala are examined in the present study. A total of 270 farmers from five SAZ blocks – Chitoor–Kollengode, Kanjikuzhy, Pazhayannur, Vattavada and Devikulam were surveyed. Vegetable crop diversity was measured using the Shannon– Wiener diversity index, with the highest diversity recorded in Kollengode (H = 1.118) and Kanjikuzhy (H = 1.108) panchayats, while the lowest diversity was found in Chelakkara panchayats (H = 0.740). Results revealed significant differences in crop diversity among panchayats P < 0.05, with pairwise comparisons showing that Kollengode, Kanjikuzhy, Devikulam and Vattavada had similar diversity levels. Further, findings signalled that farmers with a high-risk propensity are willing to diversify their vegetable cultivation (r = 0.362, P < 0.01). Key personal socio-economic factors affecting crop diversity, irrigation potential, vegetable farming experience and credit orientation, as indicated by stepwise regression analysis, explained 19% of the variance in crop diversity. The study highlights the importance of understanding the socio-economic traits and risk aversiveness of vegetable farmers in designing strategies to promote vegetable crop diversity, which is essential for improving agricultural resilience and farmer livelihoods in Kerala’s SAZs.
654			_aANOVA _acrop biodiversity _aKendalls tau-b _arisk propensity _astep-wise multiple regression.
773	0		_0125299 _9112520 _tCurrent Science _x 0011-3891
942			_cJA
999			_c131819 _d131819