Track 3-1-2: Case Studies on Participatory Research and Development
Description
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.
Citation
Biradar, Nagaratna; Shivakumar, B. G.; and Kumar, Vinod, "Farmer to Farmer Spread of Fodder Crops--An Analysis on Mango Orchards in South India" (2020). IGC Proceedings (1993-2023). 1.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/23/3-1-2/1
Included in
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.
