Bananas and Food Security - Bioversity International

Asie – Pacifique / Asia – Pacific : K. Pushkaran
mounds of about 30 cm height and diameter are formed, 2 m apart, before letting water
into the field. The rice is transplanted after flooding during September. Nendran banana
suckers are also planted in the mounds. The paddy crop is managed in the usual manner.
The young banana plants will get enough moisture from the water supplied to rice. The
banana plants are not given much attention till the paddy is harvested. After this, the
field is prepared by digging and beds are formed by taking furrows for proper drainage
and irrigation. Manuring and other operations for banana are then followed (Pillai
1979). In this way, both crops thrive.
In a two-year rotation of this cropping pattern, three paddy crops (Virippu – May to
August; Mundakan (with banana) – September to December; and Mundakan (2nd year) –
September to December and one banana crop – September to August (2nd year) and one
pulse crop (January to April) are taken whereas in the usual practice two rice crops
(Virippu – May to August; Mundakan – September to December (2nd year) and one
banana crop – September-August (2nd year) and one pulse crop (January to April) can
only be taken. Thus an additional paddy crop can be taken by following this system. As
the practice of raising banana in paddy fields is spreading fast, this system needs to be
investigated in detail.
Homestead
The home garden system is practised very extensively in many countries in the tropical
high rainfall areas (Tejwani 1994). A home garden is defined by Wiersum (1982) as a
form of land use on private lands surrounding individual houses with a definite fence, in
which several tree species are cultivated together with annual and perennial crops, often
with the inclusion of small livestock.
Homesteads as a system of farming may be found in the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu
and Andhra covering the southern part of India and are highly specialised and popular in
Kerala. Often Kerala is considered as a land of homesteads and the size of homesteads
varies widely. Banana is a integral component of all homesteads, small or big, and
coconut is the main crop. Shade tolerant varieties of banana adapted to ratooning are
vital in this cropping system. Drought tolerance and capacity of withstand leaf cutting
for household purposes, resistance to diseases and pests are other desirable varietal
attributes. A wide array of banana cultivars, including the chosen varieties of individual
householders, are being grown in the homesteads. A total of 66 species of crops including
banana were listed in home gardens in Kerala by Nair and Sreedharan (1986). The
productivity of banana in the homesteads is relatively poor for various reasons
(Pushkaran 1996b). There is immense scope to enhance the productivity of banana in
the homestead by concerted efforts on research and extension.
Further, as a farming system, the homesteads of Kerala effectively and efficiently
combine a very high level of cropping intensity at the multi-storied level with livestock,
poultry and even fish culture. The system is highly sustainable and environmentally
friendly, incorporating the principles of organic recycling. A critical appraisal of this
system to tap its potential on a global basis deserves attention.
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