The word Kole is a Malayalam word, and means that a bumper yield.

It is a particular cultivation method adopted in wastelands from December to May which otherwise is submerged from June to November, half of the year. The Kole wetlands are low lying tracts located 0.5 to 1m below Mean Sea Level (MSL) and remain submerges for about six months in a year. The average annual rainfall is 3,200 mm and temperature varied from 28°C to 31°5°C.The Kole Wetlands cover an area of about 13,632 hectares spread over Thrissur district and Malappuram district.

Any analysis of wetlands is complicated by the existence of complex ecosystem interactions, the production of multiple products and services (only some of which are physically found in the wetland itself) and problems with valuation of goods and services (Dixon and Lal 1997). Due to the coexistence of water related and terrestrial related properties various types of economic activities are undertaken on Kole lands supporting livelihoods of the local population either directly or indirectly.