 The economic depression of the 1930s, the Second World War, and a remarkable increase in the population in the agrarian mid-land forced low holding peasants to clear forest land to cultivate food crops and cash crops.The migrant peasants practised both dryland cultivation of rice, cassava (tapioca), Lemon Grass oil, cardamom, ginger, pepper, and other spices.Landless and smallholding farmers from the erstwhile princely state regions; mainly from Palai, Ettumanoor, Kothamangalam, Thodupuzha, and Melukavu migrated to western Ghats.