Red palm weevil incidence: Spatial pattern and implications in technology adoption

Red palm weevil (RPW) is one of the major fatal pests of coconut. Conventional extension approaches need to be refined forachieving the desired outcome on adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) strategies against RPW, especially among smalland marginal farming communities. The pattern of incidence, severity of infestation and age of palms are the factors motivatingfarmers for adoption of IPM practices. Taking these into account, a technology delivery approach for RPW management wasevolved and implemented in the entire geographical extent of 520 ha area of Edava grama panchayat in Thiruvananthapuramdistrict of Kerala state, India. This approach involves farmer participatory surveillance and monitoring with technical facilitationfrom research institutions which is a paradigm shift to community based area wide management strategies. Besides holdings’profile, number of RPW infested/lost palms and GPS (i.e., latlong) coordinates of infested palms were recorded. The spatialdistribution pattern was analyzed using Indices of Dispersion (ID), Patchiness (IP) Cluster Frequency (ICF) and Mean Crowding(IMC) at different cluster levels (i.e., holdings, administrative segments and grids). ESRI GIS software was used to depict geospatialpatterns of RPW infestation. Among 5410 coconut holdings, 18.7 per cent were having RPW infested palms. The pest incidencein juvenile palms was significantly higher compared to adult palms. The distribution pattern of infested palms was observed to beaggregated. Knowledge level of farmers regarding aspects of pest and management was below 10 per cent. The proposedmethodology of participatory data documentation resulted in rapid and reliable collection of data from large area with an additionalbenefit of experiential learning for farmers in the locality

Health and nutrition profile of children in rural Kerala: A call for an action

Child health as an area of policy option has been given much attention by health economists, public health experts, planners etc. children are vital to the nation’s present and her future. The increasing interest on child health and nutrition has been justified on many ways. Under five years old children are targeted for priority care under various maternal and child health programmes, but these age groups (5-15 years) remain a neglected lot. The recent health statistics of Kerala tell a dark narrative of degenerating public health system. This study analyses the problems of children’s health and nutritional status in rural Kerala with special reference to Kasargod district, focusing on Protein-Energy Malnutrition of children, and traces the link between health and nutrition in the family and the acquisition of human capital, recognizing the interdependencies between children’s nutritional status and health and subsequent learning ability. The multivariate analysis of the effects of selected demographic and socioeconomic factors on child malnutrition indicates that the strongest predictors of child nutrition in rural Kerala are child’s age, child’s birth order, mother’s education, and household standard of living. Nutritional deficiency among children adversely affects children’s overall health, educational attainment, physical and mental development

Health and nutrition profile of children in rural Kerala: A call for an action

Child health as an area of policy option has been given much attention by health economists, public health experts, planners etc. children are vital to the nation’s present and her future. The increasing interest on child health and nutrition has been justified on many ways. Under five years old children are targeted for priority care under various maternal and child health programmes, but these age groups (5-15 years) remain a neglected lot. The recent health statistics of Kerala tell a dark narrative of degenerating public health system. This study analyses the problems of children’s health and nutritional status in rural Kerala with special reference to Kasargod district, focusing on Protein-Energy Malnutrition of children, and traces the link between health and nutrition in the family and the acquisition of human capital, recognizing the interdependencies between children’s nutritional status and health and subsequent learning ability. The multivariate analysis of the effects of selected demographic and socioeconomic factors on child malnutrition indicates that the strongest predictors of child nutrition in rural Kerala are child’s age, child’s birth order, mother’s education, and household standard of living. Nutritional deficiency among children adversely affects children’s overall health, educational attainment, physical and mental development

Controlled delivery of essential oils for the management of rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros L.) in coconut

Rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros L. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), causes damage to coconut palms by feeding on the unopened fronds affecting photosynthesis. Management measures adopted include use of chemical insecticides and bioagents. Though chemical insecticides are effective, the undesirable effect on human and non-target organisms have led to dependence on botanochemicals for pest management. Essential oils derived from plant parts have the ability to cause desired control on insect pest. The limitation for use at field level is attributed to quick decline in its efficacy due to evaporation and photo degradation. Hence, this study aims to develop a polymer based delivery matrix for the release of essential oils more effectively. Essential oils (citriodora, basil and ajowan) and major constituent thymol, caused growth regulating effect in O. rhinoceros at 0.1 per cent. Among the essential oils screened, matrix loaded with basil and citriodora oils were superior with only 18 and 22 per cent incidence of spindle damage, respectively. Pest infestation in the control plots were over 74 per cent. The physical properties of the polymer matrix and dissipation pattern of actives loaded into the sheet were determined. This offers a potential to be incorporated as a component in IPM measures of rhinoceros beetle

Sustainability of Farmer Producer Organisations - The case of producer organisations involved in the production and marketing of ‘neera’ in the coconut sector

Neera-the coconut inflorescence sap has been promoted as a potential value-added non-alcoholic beverage with abundant health benefits. The concerted effort of the stakeholder agencies could liberate the product from the policy regulations on its production under the excise act (known as ‘Abkari act’ in Kerala). Subsequently, the coconut producer federations (CPFs) in the State were granted licenses for ‘neera’ production and marketing. However, the majority of the CPFs discontinued the ‘neera’ enterprise, which they have initiated with greater enthusiasm. The present study is a modest attempt to trace the reasons for setbacks experienced in the ‘neera’ sector and also to provide a refined framework for revamping the sector. The details of licenses granted to the CPFs were sourced from the Department of Excise, Government of Kerala. The sample size of the study was 95 (13 CPFs who are still active and 82 CPFs who have discontinued). It was observed that the ‘neera’ value chain is in the evolving stage, and the withdrawal of the institutional support had detrimentally affected the confidence of the CPFs ventured into it. The availability of ‘neera’ technicians (tappers) and the high wage rates have evoked concerns on the profitability as well as the assurance of continuous supply of the product. The study categorically highlights the need for a restructured value chain of ‘neera’ with specific roles assigned to the stakeholders through the creation of functional linkages

Coconut sector in India experiencing a new regime of trade and policy environment: A critical analysis

Of late, Indian coconut sector is facing unprecedented crises on account of various macro and micro level factors. The productivity of the crop is constrained by low input use efficiency in conjunction with other biotic and abiotic stresses, which are priority areas of research. The aspect of mechanization also deserves adequate importance, considering the scarcity of skilled labour. Above all, the most important facet is value addition, which should be strengthened to mitigate the issue of low profitability of the sector. The post-World Trade Agreement (WTA) and ASEAN Treaty regime witnessed integration of plantation economies across the globe that resulted in fierce competition among producing countries. This paper addresses the pertinent issues on various facets of coconut economy by employing appropriate economic tools of analysis. The facets covered include trade aspects, global competitiveness, production economics, price analysis, policy level impediments and marketing issues. We have found that as far as the export markets of coconut value added products are concerned, India is comparatively a very small player with paltry export market shares. However, in recent times, Indian export sector has become vibrant with very high growth rate since Coconut Development Board (CDB) has been upgraded to the status of Export Promotion Council (EPC). Indian coconut sector has huge domestic demand, comparatively higher productivity, strong research support and technology delivery systems. In spite of these positive aspects, concerted efforts are lacking to effectively utilize the possible linkages between them for increasing the production and marketing efficiencies and enter the high value global chains. Sustainable coconut economy could only be achieved through integrated development of cultivation and industry coupled with a stable market

Assessing status of pests and diseases with cluster approach - A case of coconut in Kasaragod district in Northern Kerala

The main objective of integrated pest and disease management is to intervene efficiently to reduce crop damage at minimum costand inflicting minimum damage to the environment. The basic requirement for such programmes is the availability of a costeffectivesampling method for assessing the status of incidence and intensity of the disease/pest attack wherein, accurate estimatesis achieved through minimum efforts. In the present study, a sampling strategy and measures of severity and crop loss forsimultaneous assessment of incidence of major pests and diseases of coconut were formulated and implemented in Kasaragoddistrict of Kerala. The sampling methodology involved a cluster approach in which four clusters of at least 500 bearing palmsfrom a minimum of ten coconut gardens, representing the geographical strata of the panchayath, were scored visually for theincidence of major pests and diseases. District level estimates were derived incorporating area under coconut in each panchayathas the weight. Information on geographic coordinates was recorded and utilized for preparation of thematic maps using Arc-GIS.Further, crop loss due to the major pests and diseases were also estimated under certain scenarios. The study revealed that diseaseslike stem bleeding and Thanjavur wilt were more prevalent in areas experiencing high temperature and low rainfall whereas,incidence of bud rot disease was significantly higher in hilly regions where low temperature and high humidity prevailed. Incidenceof pests like eriophyid mite and coreid bug was higher in coastal areas of the district. The study could serve as a model for similarstudies in future and the information emerging out of this study would help in formulating integrated pest and disease managementprogrammes at grass root level

Child Nutrition in Rural India: Some Policy Priorities and Strategies

The most neglected form of human deprivation is malnutrition particularly among preschool children. Millions of Indian children are equally deprived of the rights to survival, health, nutrition, education and safe drinking water. Interventions for preschool children (Early Childhood Care and Development) in India must be broadly addressed in three dimensions: child health, child development/education and child nutrition. The specific objectives of the study are to examine the current picture of nutritional status of preschool children in rural India; to analyze the policy priorities related to essential components of early child care and development and its interventions; and to suggest the strategies to combat malnutrition among preschool children in India. There are a number of factors affects child nutrition either directly or indirectly. Strategies for preschool children in India require three essential components. They are, system of food entitlements, system of child care and system of health care. Problems of malnutrition among preschool children needs to be addressed through right away. This paper is an attempt in this regard

Tribute to Paul. A. Samuelson

Paul .A. Samuelson, the first American Nobel laureate in Economics and the foremost academic economist of the 20th century. As a graduate student at Harvard, Samuelson studied Economics under Joseph Schumpeter, W.W. Leontief, Goldfried Haberler and the ‘American Keynes’ Alvin Hansen. He was the first American to win to Nobel Prize in Economics; and he is considered to be one of the founders of Neo-Keynesian Economics and a seminal figure in the development of Neoclassical Economics

Climate Change: A Threat to Human Health

Climate change will have a wide range of implications to human health. These include thermal-related morbidity and mortality due to extreme temperatures, effects associated with air pollution, impacts of extreme weather events, malnutrition, water-borne (e.g. diarrhea, cholera, typhoid) and vector-borne diseases (e.g. malaria, dengue). Much of the health risk posed by climate change is preventable or curable through the scale-up of existing health programmes and interventions. Intensive action to strengthen public health systems and to promote sustainable and healthy development choices can enhance current health conditions as well as reduce vulnerability to future climate change