What is an agro-ecological zone?
An agro-ecological zone (AEZ) is a land resource mapping unit, defined in terms of climate, landform, and soils, and has a specific range of potentials and constraints for cropping.
Agriculture is highly dependent on soils and climate. The ever-increasing need for food to support the growing population in the country demands a systematic appraisal of its soil and climate resources in order to prepare effective land-use plans. India has a variety of landscapes and climate conditions and this is reflected in the development of different soils and types of vegetation. Based on 50 years of climate data and an up-to-date soil database, the country has been divided into 20 agro-ecological zones. Each AEZ is as uniform as possible in terms of physiography, climate, length of growing period and soil type.
New AEZs in Kerala
Agriculture minister P Prasad said on Tuesday that the Kerala government is currently working to minimize Kerala’s dependence on agricultural products from other states. To achieve the same goal, the government is now establishing five agro-ecological zones in the state to promote the development of agriculture and related value-added products through 23 agro-ecological units. The announcement was made after the opposition filed a series of complaints with the government about the storage, procurement and distribution of crops.
P Prasad told the Kerala parliament during the question hour that the state will now establish the agro-ecological zones to support agriculture in the state. According to the Minister of Agriculture, scientific methods will now be adopted to promote farming of the suitable crops suited for the particular agro-ecological zones and climatic conditions. “The government through its agencies will help the farmers in storage, procurement and distribution,” Prasad said in the assembly. He also told the assembly that so far Rs 3.02 crore has been given to 2712 farmers in various districts in the financial year 2020-21. An additional Rs 1.54 crore will be given to more than 2000 farmers shortly. As this is the first implementation of the scheme, there may be some initial problems which can be addressed.