Assessment of vegetable crop diversity and its determinants in special agricultural zones for vegetables in Kerala

The 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.