Changing Cropping Pattern and Crop Diversification: A Micro Level Study in Garhbeta-ll Block of Paschim Medinipur District

In Garhbeta-ll block there many villages have undertaken crop diversification to increase productivity and cultivate high value crops with positive outcome to meet up the challenges of a food security and changing needs of the population. The cropping pattern change at the sample villages are analyzed with the help of Herfindal's index. The crop diversification index is calculated for twelve sample village and four Gram Panchayat in 2015–16. In Saraboth and Jirapara Gram Panchayat index value has been declined. In all the villages of these Gram Panchayat the diversification index are found to decline and the index value is less than 0.47. In Goaldanga and Piasala Gram Panchayat are seen to be the more diversified Gram Panchayat. Farm size wise analysis showed that gradually change in area proportion. In medium farms their proportion of rice area nearly 8 per cent of cropped area declined than marginal farms and 6.6 per cent declined in semi-medium farms. The proportion of area under vegetables in medium farms is lower than small and marginal farms.