The geographical location of mandated study region is broadly shown in the Kerala map. The mandated study area includes the whole of Alappuzha, with 73 panchayats, including the panchayats falling under the Kuttanad Wetland System (KWS), and remaining part of the KWS spread over the districts of Kottayam and Pathanamthitta. Nearly 57 % of the KWS is shared by Alappuzha district, 30 % by the Kottayam district and remaining 13 % by the Pathanamthitta district. Administratively Alappuzha district is divided into 6 taluks, namely, Ambalapuzha, Chengannur, Chertala, Karthikapally, Kuttanad and Mavelikkara, comprising a total of 82 villages. Out of the 73 panchayats in Alappuzha, 32 panchayats fall within Kuttanad. Three
taluks of Kottayam district, namely, Changanassery, Kottay panchayats and 16 villages are part of Kuttanad. In Pathanamthitta district, 5 panchayats under Thiruvalla taluk fall within Kuttanad. Thus, the KWS has a total of 64 panchayats. Apart from Kuttanad, two major agricultural regions of uniqueness are Onattukara and Pokkali rice belt area. Onattukara is a region spreading to Kollam district, south of Alappuzha. The study is confined to the Onattukara region falling within Alappuzha, constituted by 26 panchayats and 2 municipalities. The Pokkali rice area is in Cherthala taluk, northwest part of Alappuzha, with major part falling in Thuravoor and Pattanakkad panchayats.