with less than one acre, small farmers with 1 to 2.5 acres, medium farmers with 2.5 to
5 acres and large farmers with more than 5 acres. From among these different
categories of paddy farmers, 90 farmers were selected as the sample units fora detailed survey on the basis of stratified sampling method. The sample consisted of
30 marginal farmers, 33
small farmers, 15 medium farmers and 12 large farmers. Later our field investigators contacted all the sample farmers in person and collected relevant data from them using a pretested structured interview schedule. In order to supplement the thus collected data we discussed the pertinent issues with the members of
padasekharam committees and aged farmers and recorded their opinions and suggestions. A series of focus group discussion programmes were also held at different parts of the study area. In data analysis conventional statistical tools had been applied.
Major sources of secondary data used in this study are the publications of the State Planning Board (SPB), Department of Economics and Statistics (DES) of the state government earlier known as the Bureau of Economics and Statistics (BES),
Kerala Agricultural University,
Rice Research Centres, Kerala Sasthra Sahithya
Parishat etc. Census Survey Reports,
village office records, data collected by the
Ramakari panchayat for local level planning,
research papers, articles and various Commission Reports are also used in this study.
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