The CSR Sub-Centre (earlier termed as ECF Unit) is the field testing unit of the Cropping Systems Research Project network, financed by the ICAR and the KAU;and co-ordinated by the Project Directorate of Cropping Systems Research Project at Modipuram, Meerut, UP. The ECF Unit was started in 1971, had functioned in various districts with 3 year duration all over the State. The period of operation was fixed as 5 years from 1988, and area of operation as agro-ecological zone. During 1988-93, it covered the Central zone with HQ at Mannuthy, 1993-98 the Problem zone with HQ at Kayamkulam and at present in the Central zone with HQ at Vadakkumchery, Alathur.

Mandate The main mandate of the Unit is conduct of on-farm research under the actual farming situations on location specific problems by researcher-extension workers-farmers participatory research. The area of operation of the Unit is now the Central zone. The main goal is to evaluate and refine/develop client oriented need based technologies under different bio-physical and socio-economic conditions existing on-farms; and transfer the fully baked technologies for large scale adoption.

• Prepared a bulletin on Indigenous Technologies in Agriculture.
• Identified rice varieties for different farming situations.
• Evolved production technologies for sustainable rice systems.
• Identified suitable cowpea varieties for fringe cropping in rice fields.
• Evolved cheap and efficient method of crop establishment for direct seeding in rice (using drum-seeder and cono-weeder) to replace transplanting method without sacrifice in yield.
• Identified profitable vegetable crops for higher returns in rice based cropping systems.