Abstract :
Premise of research: Timely non-availability of skilled labours for harvesting nuts coupled with fluctuating market prices are the major challenges in coconut cultivation. The scarcity of labour disrupted the harvesting cycle causing loss of income to the growers. The traditional method of climbing coconut tree involved more physical drudgery, risk to the life, time consuming and less effective in harvesting nuts. Hence, a new friends of coconut tree (FOCT) was introduced and has relatively more advantageous over to that of traditional one. Realising this Coconut Development Board (CDB) had organised training programme to impart skills of using FOCT for the rural youths in association with KVKs and National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), GoK. Methodology: The survey was conducted in Mandya district, 70 youth were selected randomly as respondents covering all the 7 talukas. Research design adopted was Ex-post facto evaluation type. Structured interview schedule was developed, pre-tested in non-sample area. Data were collected by personal interview method and analysed using statistical tests to draw the inference. Pivotal results: The findings revealed that majority of the respondents (75.72%) had used the FOCT for self (Personal use) only and all the respondents (100%) used it during Kharif season, followed by ¾ of them (78.57%) used during Rabi 2/3rd of them (67.13%) used during summer seasons. Further, majority of the respondents (62.85%) did not use the coconut palm climbing equipment for harvesting of tender nuts during Kharif season and had used it for harvesting of matured nuts for a period of 1 to 5 days during Rabi season. Followed by nearly 3/4th of them (72.86%) did not use the equipment for crown cleaning purpose during Kharif as it was not a regular routine activity and used it whenever tree was infested. To conclude that majority of the respondents used the FOCT for self in their gardens and also to some extent for income earning. The findings with respect to association between utility pattern of equipment and social variables, the family size, land holding and educational level found have no significant association with utility pattern of coconut climbing equipment. The socio-economic profile of the respondents was, majority of them had nucleus type of family, had owned marginal land, were professing dairy as a subsidiary occupation for their livelihood and acquired collegiate level of schooling. Conclusion : The skill training on coconut climbing equipment usage for harvesting coconuts to generate self employment was organised by Krishi Vigyan Kendra in association with Coconut Board during 2015. The youth entrepreneurs acquired skills by using the equipment to harvest the coconuts and cleaning of crown of coconut tree . Majority of them had used the equipment for self and a few of them used for generating self employment by going outside their gardens. The extent of utility varied from season to season. The utility pattern equipment was not significantly associated with the social factors such as family size, land holding and education level. There might be other factors influencing on the utility pattern of the equipment.
Keyword :
Coconut climbing , Rural youth, Utility pattern, Season harvesting, Employment