cultured mussel production in Kerala was around 1,250 tonnes which was. produced by over 250 mussel farms in the estuaries (Kiranet ah, 2014). In Kerala ...
Women empowerment through green mussel {Pema vuidis) farming : Focus on Kerala V. Bharti^*, P. Jayaaraj^, T. P. M. Azaharudheen^ R. R. Rachana‘'and A. Baruah^ 'C entral M arine F isheries R esearch Institute (ICAR), Kochi, Kerala ^Krishi V igyan Kendra, Payinnur, K annur, Kerala ^National R ice R esearch Institute (ICAR), Cuttack, O rissa ■‘N atio n a l R esearch C entre o n P om egran ate (ICAR), Solapur, M aharashtra ^Central Island A gricultural R esearch Institute (ICAR), Port Blair, A n d a m a n & N icob ar Islands C orresp on d in g au th or : vivek an an db h artil5@ em ail.com
Abstract M u sse l fa rm in g is one of th e b e st id e a s for the u tilis a tio n of n a tu r a l re so u rc e s as w ell as h u m a n resources in a sustainable manner. It is an activity w ith potential to em power w om en by giving them a chance to earn additional income for their family, thereby making them self-reliant. Thus, Igoking at the larg er p icture m ussel farm ing could bring about an im provem ent in the socio-economic condition of families in the coastal States of India. Additionally, it also ensures production of healthy and protein rich food for the consumers.
Introduction Green m ussel {Perna viridis) farm ing technology in India w as developed d u rin g 1970s by CMFRI and the a d o p tio n of this tech n o lo g y sta rte d th ro u g h coastal fishers from 1997, after realising its potential in generating incom e (Manoj an d A p p u k u tta n , 2003). In 2002, the cultured mussel production in Kerala was around 1,250 tonnes which was. produced by over 250 mussel farms in the estuaries (Kiranet ah, 2014). In Kerala, fisherwomen population is significantly high. Therefore, enhancing w om en participation in livelihood enhancement activities will definitely play a crucial role in
Fig.-3. Mussel farming in rack culture technique
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th e e co no m ic g ro w th of th e State. Since the e s ta b lish m e n t of K u d u m b a sh re e (SHG) in 1998, the p a rtic ip a tio n of w o m e n in K erala h a s d ra m a tic a lly increased in various vocational activities. The author had an interaction w ith Mrs. Saritha of Valiyaparambu village of Kannur district of Kerala. She won the second National Award for 2013 - 14 in mussel farming by Marine Export Product D evelopment Authority, (MPEDA), which was conferred during the AQ U A AQUARIA INDIA - 2015' at Vijayawada, A ndhra Pradesh. She is also a recipient of Matsya Samridhi Award - 2014 "for best mussel farmer of K asarag od e d istrict". D u rin g the in teraction , she explained about the role of w omen in the mussel farming, preparation of the rack, the involvement in terms of time spent during culture and in management, harvesting and marketing of the end product. According to her, women involvement in mussel farming is one of the best ways to generate extra income for the family. Mussel farming can be done both in shallow and deep water. For deep water farming, raft culture and long line culture techniques are commonly used while rack culture, tray culture and stake culture techniques can be practiced in the shallow waters. Among these methods, the farmers of Kannur district prefer rack culture technique.
Fig.-l. Involvement of women in seeding of mussel
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