Case Study Report on Promoting Coconut Based Agro ... - APFED

marketing and competition. The group produced about 3500 medicinally impotent
seedlings and supplied to 300 families. Apart from these activities they also conduct onfarm
trainings especially on Vermi-compost, fish farming and coconut farming.
In association with Karunya women charitable society off- farm income
generating activities were introduced to poor women in this project area. Some activities
being implemented are tailoring decorating, glass painting, embroidery, etc (also see
Annexure 3). This program also helps to run one child day care center.
The Project also created a platform to link and participate other institutions like
block Panchyat, Village Panchayat, Krishi Vgayan Bhavan, Coir Industry, Government of
Kerala, Coconut Development Board, Coir Board, Alappuzha Coie cluster Development
Society, Vayala famers club and Vayalar community Development Centre, State
Agricultural and forest department for sustainable development in coconut based agroecosystem.
6. Discussion:
Introducing different combinations of multi specie cropping helps in increase in
soil moisture, quality of local environment and strengthen on farm biodiversity.
Simultaneously promoting livestock like cow, goat, poultry, duck and aquaculture in
farmland brought food security, household nutrients and income. Integration of multi
species cop and livestock component helps in raising overall household income from US
$ 400 to US $ 600-700 /ha and also revitalize the local ayurvadic medical system. Table 2
describes that fish culture, poultry and Duck raring were contributed equal share of
economy about US $ 22 / month to rise household income followed by cow and multi
species cropping. This shows that individual household are effectively utilizing available
land for biodiversity conservation and raising household income this may be due
availability of wide space between coconut tree helps in growing other cover crops/ multi
species crop and animal. Also the plant and animal residue obtain from each component
act as barrier to soil moisture evaporation, nutrient addition and improves the
microclimate. Similarly Lightfoot and Minnick (1991) reported that the integration of
trees into these systems offers income security and ecological protection. Further, animals
on a farm provide inputs to other enterprises and constitute a source of meat and milk, a
means of savings, and a source of social status (Schierre et al, 2002; Little and Edwards
2003). Coconut canopies may result not only in lower air temperatures (beneath the