Giving villagers a slice of the pie
A programme in Zimbabwe strives to conserve wildlife and maintain development on the premise that villagers will utilise natural resources in a sustainable manner if they can perceive the benefits to them
Search Results
-
-
Time to change
Restrictions on use of natural resources in protected areas are driving the local communities dependent on forest produce for their survival to a state of deprivation. Conservation strategies can be sustainable only when it involves indigenous people in t
-
No more diverse
Looked at on a geological timescale, the planet's biodiversity has always been faced with threats of one form or another. But, at present, the threat is more pronounced than ever: species loss is
-
Books teach green the fun way
Much useful and reasonably priced reading material for children, focussing on environmental issues, is available now.
-
Valley revisited
To help chart afresh course to conserve the Silent Valley National Park, activists who stopped a dam's installation in the region met in the Park at a recent seminar
-
No laughing matter
Activists are increasingly resorting to attention grabbing techniques to bring development issues into the public domain
-
Kangaroos and tribals in the spotlight
The interests of the Tokyo Environmental Film Festival were varied and the films were technically superb, but most failed to focus on people
-
Divide And Rule
Policies that alienate the people from control over their habitat can cost the country dearly in terms of green cover and air and water quality
-
Daubs fo gilt on the Israeli image abraod
Two films on Israel, despite their obvious public relations motive, nevertheless catch and hold firmly, the viewer's interest.
-
Sullying the seas
An oil spill pollutes 500 km of the French coast. It takes three weeks and public pressure for the guilty company to accept responsibility
-
The drowning of biodiversity
A recent report on the Narmada Sagar and Omkareshwar projects raises fears of the loss of biodiversity in the region
-
Where are the tapovans ?
Both India and China are ancient civilisations possessing characteristic indigenous knowledge of conservation of natural ecosystems. The Chinese have recognised the potential of traditional knowledge and regard religious forests as an asset and an importa
-
Desert blooms
Halophytes plants growing on saline soil could be India's Answer to the problems of salt desert and wasteland reclamation, besides Being an economic boon
-
Dying diversity: North profits from destruction of southern hotspots
Lukewarm spots >> Biodiversity hotspots are regions of significant diversity threatened with destruction through commercial exploitation. There are 34 hotspots in the world, accounting for just
-
Judicious use of available space means more income
Mr. P.G. Jayachandran of Thrissur district in Kerala in his farm. Generating a better income from a limited area is an art, especially in farming operations, where judicious use of available space is an important factor. Very fewfarmers who practise integrated farming succeed in generating a good income from it. Managing successfully Mr. P.G. Jayachandran of Thrissur district in Kerala seems to be case in point. He has been successfully able to manage both crops and animal husbandry in his seven acre farm and integrate the different components into a single unit. He has a dairy unit of nine cows, with a daily milk production of about 60 litres. A part of the milk is sold to a milk society and the rest is used for making value added products such as buttermilk and ghee. Organic manures Fodder grass for the cattle is raised as an intercrop in his farm and coconut oil cake is used as feed for the animals. Organic manures such as cattle manure are the main source of nutrients for his crops. He also has a collection of Malabari, Jamnapari and Sannan goat breeds which are mainly used for kid production. A piggery unit comprising large White Yorkshire and Landrace breeds, is primarily used for utilisation of agricultural waste. The piggery unit provides him considerable income without much expenditure, according to Dr. Sabin George, Assistant Professor (Animal Husbandry), Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Thrissur. Back yard poultry with about 50 layer birds of Gramalakshmi and Rhode Island Red breeds yield about 40 eggs daily which are sold in the market. In addition, he also has turkey, quail and guinea fowl. Good demand He has about 200 coconut palms, yielding 150 nuts a year, a part of which is used for seed nut production for his own nursery. The remaining nuts are used for production of coconut oil which has a good demand at his farm itself. He earns aboutRs. 1lakh a year from coconuts alone, after meeting all the expenses. According to Dr. T.N. Jagadeesh Kumar, Associate Professor, KVK, Thrissur, the different enterprises in his farm are arranged systematically to encourage maximum utilization of land and resources and integration of various components. Plantation crops such as rubber, coconut, and arecanut occupy the prime area of the farm. Other crops such as vegetables, banana, pepper, cocoa, colocasia, elephant foot yam, and yams are intercropped, wherever feasible. The animal sheds are situated at the middle to facilitate transport of manures to all parts of the farm. Water harvesting Water harvesting devices (tanks lined with silpauline sheets) are located at an elevation which permits gravitational flow of water to all parts of the farm. Fish varieties such as Rohu, Catla, Grass carp and Mrigal are bred in a twenty-five cent pond in the farm, and the slurry used for irrigation. In addition, Mr. Jayachandran maintains a biogas plant and vermicompost unit for organic manure production. He raises azolla in shallow tanks for feeding poultry and cattle, which improve the quality of produce. Intercropping The coconut and arecanut gardens are intercropped with banana, colocasia and yams. He has a wide collection - about 15 types of banana. He considers banana as a maximum utility crop since all the plant parts are used - bunches harvested, suckers sold and the pseudostem used for mulching and vermicompost production. Banana cultivation, mostly intercropped, alone gives him an annual return of Rs.85,000. The farmer also has about 50 nutmeg trees, intercropped with garcinia, and coffee. Part of the garcinia and coffee is used for home consumption and the balance, marketed. He maintains a nursery in his farm where good quality seedlings of all the crop varieties grown and sold. Readers can contact Mr. P. G. Jayachandran, Puthuppally House, Kaniarkode Post, Pin 680 659 Thiruvilwamala Via, Thrissur 680 594 and Dr. T N. Jagadeesh Kumar, Associate Professor (Agronomy), mobile: 9447467288 and Dr. Sabin George, Assistant Professor (Animal Husbandry), K.V.K, Thrissur, Vellanikkara, KAU Post, pin 680 656, mobile: 9446203839.
-
India's changing position on climate change: why and for whom?
<p>Let me be straight: As the clocks ticks to Copenhagen, how low is the world prepared to prostrate to get climate-renegade US on board? Is a bad deal in Copenhagen better than no deal? <br />
-
Order, Order
Powerful words that provided the base for judicial activism in India. How potent are the judgments delivered in favour of the environment? Will the enthusiasm shown by the judiciary to reform an indolent government machinery continue? A cross-section
-
Is it on the right track?
Controversy has dogged the Konkan railway project since its inception. Today, many influential Goans are up in arms against the present alignment of the track, which, they allege, would wreck the state"s environment. Railway officials, of course, disagree
-
Borne again
Why is malaria, an easily preventable ailment, showing signs of resurging in all its fury, and what are we doing to contain its marauding steps?
-
Evolution with full stops and commas
Darwinian sapience takes a beating as the notion of "punctuated equilibrium" - which postulates that evolution occurred in sudden fits and starts - gathers shape