• Geetha Lakshmi

Farmers in the state like Punjab and Haryana are well off when compared with the farmers of Kerala. There the farmers are rich landlords and economically their condition is good. In Kerala generally farmers are poor having land ownership below five acres. They depend on bank finance to cultivate their land. There is a saying that farmers are born in debt, lives in debt and dies in debt. Most of the farmers are marginal and small farmers depending heavily on governmental help to maintain their farming. The new generation is not interested in farming because of its low profitability. The social status depends on the economic conditions and the educational level attained by the people. The young generation is not willing to undertake farming mainly because of the problems faced by agriculture. Agriculture in Kerala depends on the whims and fancies of nature. The climate conditions and weather are uncertain. Young generation is attracted by the other sectors and even by jobs in other countries leading to migration. Migration leads to labour shortage in farming. The complexity of circumstances lead to a thorough change in the social and economic conditions of the farmers in Kerala. The following analysis helps us to understand the social and economic changes that occurred to the farmers in Kerala.

Agricultural Development, Paddy Cultivation, Social - Economic conditions, Migration, Scarcity.

"A profile of the socio- economic conditions of the farmers in Kuttanad", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 6, page no.389-398, June 2019, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1908523.pdf

"A profile of the socio- economic conditions of the farmers in Kuttanad", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 6, page no. pp389-398, June 2019, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1908523.pdf