Etymologically ‘the land of paddy fields’, Wayanad district in Kerala, India, is a hub of numerous traditional paddy varieties. These varieties are less-input intensive and highly adaptive to changing climate and stresses. However, shifting cropping patterns in the district led to massive conversions of traditional paddy ecosystems posing threats to agrobiodiversity and ecological stability. Using market price, replacement cost and benefit transfer methods, it was estimated that Wayanad paddy ecosystem generates US$8,391 ha⁻¹ worth of ecosystem services annually, of which 77% is non-marketed. The potential of eco-compensation in incentivizing agrobiodiversity conservation was assessed using single bounded dichotomous choice contingent valuation. The analysis found that farmers were willing to accept a mean compensation of US$106 ha⁻¹ as incentive to cultivate traditional paddy varieties, which was lower than the Government’s incentive under ‘Wayanad package scheme’. But these amounts are very low in comparison to the annual value of ecosystem services. Hence, the value of ecosystem services needs to be accounted for in eco-compensation framework and farmers should be duly recognized and paid for the invisible fruits of their toil.

从词源上讲，“水田之地”位于印度喀拉拉邦的Wayanad区，是众多传统稻田品种的集散地。这些品种投入较少，对气候和压力的变化适应性强。但是，该地区种植方式的转变导致传统稻田生态系统的大规模转变，对农业生物多样性和生态稳定构成了威胁。使用市场价格，重置成本和利益转移方法，估计Wayanad稻田生态系统产生了8,391美元ha ^-1每年有价值的生态系统服务价值，其中77％是非上市的。生态补偿在鼓励农业生物多样性保护方面的潜力是使用单边界二分选择或有评估法进行评估的。分析发现，农民愿意接受平均补贴106公顷^-1作为种植传统稻谷品种的奖励，低于政府在“ Wayanad配套计划”下的奖励。但是，与生态系统服务的年价值相比，这些数额非常低。因此，需要在生态补偿框架中考虑生态系统服务的价值，并应适当承认农民并为其辛苦的劳动成果付出代价。