Projecting itself as a farmer-friendly front backed strongly by settler-farmer communities and sections of the Church that have actively raised concerns over recurring wildlife conflicts in high-range regions over the past decade, the United Democratic Front (UDF) on Friday outlined an agriculture-focused policy roadmap soon after assuming power.

The broad contours of the government’s plans were detailed in Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar’s policy address during the first session of the 16th Kerala Assembly, with special emphasis on the concerns of farmers in the high ranges and in wildlife-affected areas. The address promised strengthened compensation mechanisms and effective preventive systems to reduce human-wildlife conflict.

According to the Governor, agriculture remains a key priority of the V D Satheesan-led UDF government. He noted that farmers across Kerala continue to face multiple challenges, including rising input costs, price fluctuations, climate-related uncertainties, recurring wildlife attacks, fragmented landholdings, inadequate irrigation coverage, fallowing of land, limited mechanisation and climate change-induced disasters.

Stressing the government’s commitment to address these concerns urgently, Arlekar said forests remain the “lungs of the State” and a source of ecological security, water wealth and biodiversity. At the same time, he acknowledged the immense suffering caused to farming communities by human-wildlife conflict and assured that the government would adopt effective and humane measures to tackle the issue.

Among the major proposals announced was the demarcation of boundaries between agricultural and forest land to protect the property rights of farmers affected by old reserve forest notifications. The Governor said the move aims to resolve a longstanding source of anxiety and legal uncertainty faced by thousands of families.

The government also promised measures to improve farm incomes by strengthening procurement systems, revising floor prices and ensuring timely and fair prices for paddy, coconut, rubber and other agricultural products.

The policy address highlighted plans to leverage modern technology to boost agricultural productivity, reduce cultivation costs, promote mechanisation and encourage secondary agriculture. The government also intends to promote agricultural diversification, farmer-producer organisations, food processing, modern storage systems and value-added agricultural industries.

Organic farming, vegetable cultivation, coconut production and food security initiatives will receive special focus, along with agri-technology and agriculture-related entrepreneurship among youth. The Governor said the aim is not merely to sustain farming in Kerala, but to transform it into a viable and rewarding profession for future generations.

A comprehensive project to strengthen the role of women in agriculture was another key announcement. The initiative seeks to identify existing and potential women farmers in every panchayat and integrate them across the agricultural value chain, including production, processing and distribution.

As part of this effort, the government will launch a Women Farmers Consortium this year to mobilise lakhs of individual women farmers and women-led collectives. Special schemes will also be introduced to support women engaged in paddy cultivation, vegetable farming, fruit cultivation, pulses, tuber crops, mushroom cultivation and beekeeping.

The government further announced plans to introduce a comprehensive soil-testing policy and establish a soil-testing register to improve scientific farming practices. Spice development initiatives will also be strengthened through area-specific programmes for export-oriented spice cultivation, while spice parks and procurement hubs will be promoted through public-private partnerships.

Special programmes are also being planned to enhance the production and marketing of Kerala’s GI-tagged agricultural products. The government said it would intensify efforts towards the modernisation and digitisation of the agricultural sector by strengthening the Agri Stack project, completing digital crop surveys in all digitised villages and establishing a digital marketing platform to ensure transparency and improve farmers’ share in consumer prices.

In the land sector, the revenue department will initiate steps to revise existing land laws and implement the concept of “unconditional title deeds (pattayams)” as a permanent solution to concerns over eviction attempts against farmers on technical grounds.

The government also announced plans to scientifically modify land-use restrictions in plantation sectors to permit diversification while preserving the ecological character of plantations. The Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act, 2008, will be comprehensively revised to address long-pending issues related to land conversion and pattayam distribution.

The Governor said many of Kerala’s major land laws are over half a century old and require comprehensive revision in tune with present-day realities. Arlekar added that the government seeks the cooperation of all sections of society, including workers, farmers, entrepreneurs, students, professionals, public servants, cultural leaders and elected representatives, to build a stronger and more prosperous Kerala.