Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

DE-STUNTING GROWTH OF CROP DIVERSIFICATION INDEX: A CASE STUDY FROM MALDA DISTRICT, INDIA

Hasibur Rahaman and Surendra Singh

Abstract

Crop diversification not simply means growing multiple crops rather it offers income, generate employment, augment and maintain natural resources symbiotic over space. Since, diversification is a continuous process and it may change over time and space therefore it is necessary to carry out such study for different regions. The aim of the study is to analyze the nature and extent of crop diversification at block level across land size classes. The study is conducted on Malda district of West Bengal based on secondary data of 1995-96 and 2015-16 collected from Agricultural Census. Gibbs-Martin diversification technique has used to calculate diversification index. The study found increasing trends of diversification in different blocks on quinquennial years. The pace of diversification is higher under marginal land size class. The study felts the importance of capacity building and training programs of farmers to realize increasing menace of fast growing diversification on natural resources of agriculture.