Geography.
Topography and Land Use
Vengappally Grama Panchayat is a village panchayat situated in the Vythiri Taluk of Wayanad district. Spread across an area of 21.06 sq. km, the panchayat is geographically characterized by small hills and paddy fields. The region is also rich in black stones found close to the surface of the land.
Vengappally, which was once known as a major paddy cultivation area, later witnessed a shift from paddy farming to crops such as banana. Coffee cultivation is the primary agricultural activity in the panchayat. Since there are no large hills in the area, the panchayat is relatively free from the threat of landslides. However, the operation of around four environmentally approved quarries has created environmental concerns in the region.
Land Use
Almost all areas of the panchayat are used for different types of cultivation, and regions unsuitable for farming are very rare. The total agricultural land extends to about 18,018 hectares, including:
- 700 hectares of coffee cultivation
- 70 hectares of paddy cultivation
- 150 hectares of coconut cultivation
- 200 hectares of arecanut cultivation
- 400 hectares of banana cultivation
- 50 hectares of rubber cultivation
- 80 hectares of ginger cultivation
- 15 hectares of vegetable cultivation
The remaining areas are either fallow lands or rocky regions unsuitable for cultivation. Arecanut cultivation has also declined due to the spread of crop diseases.
Quarry activities have made several hectares of coffee plantations unsuitable for agriculture. This is the present condition of land use in Vengappally Grama Panchayat.
