THE IMPACT OF POPULATION CHANGE ON THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR - A CASE STUDY OF THIRUVANANTHAPURAM DISTRICT, KERALA

The relationship between man and environment is ever changing. Initially, man depended on agriculture for his livelihood but with the change in time, the situation changed. The advent of new technologies changed the interest of people in the agricultural sector. Same scenario is visible in Thiruvananthapuram district. The study used data pertaining for forty years ie from 1971-72 to 2011-12 revealed that the district which had about 69.33 percent area devoted for agriculture during the 1971-72 period now owns 59.76 percent (2011-12) area under cultivation. On the other side area devoted to non-agricultural use increased from 6.36 percent (1971-72) to 15.66 percent (2011-12). Various factors lead to this situation, the mostimportant being the attraction towards the tertiary sector as it is more profitable and risk-free. On this note, the present study using various statistical techniques aims to find the degree of relation between changes inpopulation and its influence on the agricultural sector. The analysis supported the fact that, the increasing population had definitely affected the agricultural sector in the district. In the area where cultivation stillpersist, a shift in the crop preference is also visible.