Farmer to Farmer Spread of Fodder Crops--An Analysis on Mango Orchards in South India

India ranks first among world mango (Mangifera indica L.) producing countries, accounting for about 50% of world production. Karnataka in southern India is one of the important mango producing provinces of the country. The total area under mango crops in Karnataka is 160,000 ha of which 90,000 ha is in prime fruit yielding stage. In the year 2011-12 alone the area under mango crops has gone up by 10,000 ha (DoH, 2013). The usual planting distance followed by most farmers for mango is 10 m by 10 m. Intercropping, mainly with small millet is practiced until the mango trees attain a suitable height and develop canopy (at 5-6 years of age). The space between the mango tree rows which is not cultivated is estimated to be 67,500 ha (75%) and this provides ample scope for introduction of improved fodder crops in mango orchards through non-competitive land use. Formal methods of diffusion of fodder technologies in India are not only few but are also inefficient. In such cases diffusion can be enhanced through participation of farmers (Kormawa et al., 2004). However farmer to farmer dissemination of technologies is a neglected area of research (Grisley, 1994). A study on diffusing fodder technologies in interspaces of mango orchards of farmers in a participatory mode was conducted in Karnataka. One objective was to develop a method to improve the fodder availability using mango orchards by encouraging farmers to be partners for better feeding of livestock in the region

Current Status of Stylosanthes Seed Production in Southern India

India is a significant producer of Stylosanthes (stylo) seed (principally S. hamata). Most of this seed is produced by villagers and small farmers in the Anantpur district, Andhra Pradesh, southern India. This is one of the poorest regions in the State, with harsh climatic conditions, poor, zinc-deficient soils, and (in the stylo seed production area) farm sizes averaging less than 2 ha. Marketing is handled by an informal network of seed traders who distribute stylo seed within a 25-30 km radius and, via the next level of traders, to other parts of India. A survey of seed production in this area in 2002/03 indicated that stylo seed production in 2001 was about 800 t from more than 400 ha (Rao et al. 2004). A second survey, conducted in 2012, showed that the stylo seed production area had declined to 150 ha, and that annual seed production had declined to about 300 t. Most of the decline had occurred since 2007, when the purchase of seed for watershed rehabilitation in the States of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh was discontinued. In addition to the loss of this major market, other factors influenced the reduction in stylo seed production. These included the low price of stylo seed compared with groundnut (the crop mainly competing for land use); sales of land for other purposes, and diversion of one area as a Special Economic Zone; reduced availability and increased costs of labour, particularly after the establishment in 2005 of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Agency (NREGA) which provided an attractive employment option for rural workers; lack of technical support; and, in one case, delays in payment. Poor seed quality is another issue constraining prices. Despite these challenges, many farmers in the region remain positive and would continue to produce stylo seed if profitability could be improved

Stylo in India: Much More Than a Plant for the Revegetation of Wasteland

Since the 1950s introductions of Stylosanthes scabra, S. hamata and S. guianensis from Australia, South America, the USA and Africa have continued in India. Although no cultivar has been released, selections of S. scabra, S guianensis and S. hamata are used in a range of environmental and commercial production systems. A large seed industry spanning \u3e400 ha and run by \u3e600 smallholder farmers producing 800t seeds/ year supports this usage (Rao et al., 2004). Stylo is mainly used in India for revegetation of wastelands where it reduces soil erosion and offers fodder for livestock (Pathak et al., 2004). Relatively small use is made as supplementary feed for dairy and breeding farms, as pastures in sheep and goat farms, in urban forestry and as a cover crop in horticulture and agroforestry. There are probably some 20,000 ha under silvipasture and horticulture. In mixed crop-livestock farming system stylo has been a saviour for smallholder farmers in some arid areas. The recent success of S. seabrana as a multipurpose legume and the suitability of stylo leaf meal as a replacement for expensive constituents in commercial poultry feed formulations may further accelerate uptake

Association of biotic factors with indigenous knowledge of farmers on rainfall predictions

Farmers use different factors (biotic and abiotic) around them to predict rainfall. Several Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) practices followed by farmers in different parts of the country are documented and published. ITKs collected from flood and drought prone areas of south India along with documented ITKs were analysed to know the biotic indicators used by farmers to predict rainfall. These biotic factors were classified as insects, birds and animals. Farmers use 19 types of insects, 17 types of birds and 10 types of animals as indicators to predict rainfall. Various behaviour types of these biotic factors are observed by farmers based on which they make decisions about possibility of rain occurring and in some cases the intensity of rain. These are grassroots innovations which are time tested and facilitated farmers to make their farming decisions

CPLR and Water Resource Utilization by Livestock Farmers in Different Ecosystems of India

The common property resources comprises of all such resources that are meant for common use of the villagers including all resources. The National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO), 1999 in its report defines CPRs as “Resources accessible to and collectively owned\held\managed by an identifiable community and on which no individual has exclusive property rights are called common property resources”. Over the time, there has been gradual decline in CPRs availability to the villagers. The CPRs play an important role in the livelihood of resource poor farmers. According to NSSO, 1999, the percentage of Common Property Land Resources in total geographical area, Common Property Land Resources per household (ha.), Common Property Land Resources per- capita (ha.) is 15, 0.31 and 0.06 respectively. Components of Common Property Land Resources include Community Pastures and grazing land (23%), Village Forest and woodlots (16%) and Other (61%) and there has been reduction of 19 ha in CPR land during last 5 years (per 1000 ha.). The animal land intensity in India is high with an average land holding size of 1.57 ha supporting nearly 2.94 bovines and 1.14 ovine. This in turn puts pressure on common property resources. In developing countries, common property resources (CPRs) can be an important source of income for certain individuals within households (Maggs and Hoddinott, 1997). The common lands are significant form of natural resource endowment in developing countries, play a vital role in maintaining the ecological balance, and in supporting the rural poor, in eking out their livelihood (Qureshi and Kumar, 1998). The objective of present study is to assess the utilization of CPLRs (Common Property Land Resources) and water resources in different ecosystems of India

Fodder Scenario and Hortipastoral Opportunities to Enhance Fodder Production in India

Food grain production and livestock production are closely related in India as crop-residue forms the major source of fodder for livestock. It’s thus assumed that increase in food grain production has positive effect on availability of dry matter to the livestock. Using land use classification, crop production (2015 to 2020) and livestock census (2019) data, dry matter (DM) availability for livestock for 28 states of India was estimated. Hortipastoral opportunities by estimating area available under orchards in southern India were done to assess the possibility of introducing fodder crops in orchards. Some of the fodder crops were introduced in orchards of livestock farmers to know how fodder crops address the issue of fodder availability at household level. The lowest DM available state was Assam (52.80 % availability) and highest available state was Haryana (110.80 %). Eight states have surplus DM (+110.80% to +2.3%). Twelve states experience DM deficiency (-2.96 to -47.20%). Inter spaces in orchards, a niche to cultivate fodder crops to reduce such fodder shortage, estimated to produce 67.13 MT of green fodder sufficing yearly requirement of 13.57 million Adult Cattle Units. Adult Cattle Unit is a reference unit which facilitates the aggregation of livestock from various species and age using specific coefficients derived based on the nutritional and feed requirement of each type of animal. Perennial fodder crops were introduced to 450 Mango and Coconut farmers (from 2016-2021) that reduced fodder shortage (50.6±4.39 to 9±1.64%)