Kuttanad Wetland Agricultural System:
The soil tests in Kuttanad paddy fields which are part of Kuttanad Wetland Agricultural System in Kerala showed increased level of aluminium concentrations in paddy fields.
- It is unique and the only system in India that favours rice cultivation below sea level.
- The Kuttanad system is a complex mosaic of fragmented agricultural landscapes divided in three structures:
- Wetlands used for paddy activities and fish catching,
- Garden lands used for coconut, tubers and food crops plantation
- Water areas used as inland fishing and shells
- The Kuttanad Below Sea-level Farming System recognised under Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) of Food And Agriculture Organisation.
- The Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) is a Food and Agriculture Organization’s programme launched at the World Summit for Sustainable Development in 2002.
- It aims to strike a balance between conservation, sustainable adaptation and socioeconomic development.
- India’s GIAHS Include:
- Koraput region (Odisha): It is renowned for its subsistence paddy cultivation, predominantly on highland slopes.
- Kuttanad system (Kerala): It is a unique below-sea-level farming landscape.
- Saffron Park of Kashmir: It represents a rich agro-pastoral system characterized by traditional saffron cultivation.
