Birmingham Botanical Gardens BASE

  

  the interesting bits
  Village Life in Kerala, India

Where is Kerala?
Politics and Culture
Education and Society
Industry and Employment
Weather and Climate
Land use and ownership
Kerala's Environment
Plants of Kerala

 
 Where is Kerala?

Kerala State is part of the Indian subcontinent. It forms the south-westernmost coast of India, and is the size of Switzerland. It is one of the most densely populated and culturally mixed states in the world.

 
 Politics and Culture

Kerala is very unusual, politically: in 1957, it was the first state in the world to bring to power a communist government by holding democratic elections, instead of through revolution. At present, a coalition government is in power. 60% of the Keralese are Hindu, 20% are Muslim and 20% are Christian.

 
 Education and Society

Kerala has 91% literacy: this is higher than the rest of India (52%) and all other low income countries (average 56%). The Keralese have a higher quality of life, and a longer life expectancy than people in the rest of India and many other developing countries. Although more boys (99%) than girls (94%) attend primary school, more females are in the higher education system than males. The position of women in society in Kerala is better than in other parts of India, due to their higher level of education and fewer number of children. The Keralese speak a local language called Malayalam.

 
 Industry and Employment

  How is coconut fibre processed?
 
  • Climbers go up the palms and collect green coconuts, which are cut open.
  • The husks are put into retting pools for 4-5 months. They are bathed alternately in fresh and salt water, so that decomposing bacteria will soften them.
  • Groups of women beat the husks, which reduces them to a fibrous form.
  • A loom is used to weave the fibres into mats
Although people in Kerala have a relatively good quality of life, the state is poor. People in Kerala earn less than people from the rest of India and many other developing countries. Coconut fibre (coir) industry supports 10 million people in Kerala, and is one of the biggest exports. Other major export products include rubber, pepper, ginger, coffee, tea and cashew nuts. The official minimum wage is 30 rupees per day, however it is not unusual for manual workers to be used as "cheap labour", and only be paid 12 rupees a day. About 150,000 Keralese are working abroad in the Middle East: their salaries account for almost a quarter of the state's domestic earnings. However, unemployment is Kerala is very high (the highest in India), at 63.8% in 1991.

 Weather and Climate

There is little daily change in temperature - it stays around 30°C. There are two monsoons each year, one around June/July, and another around November/December.

What is a monsoon?
Monsoons are strong seasonal winds. In the summer, the southwest monsoon blows warm, moist air from sea to land, bringing heavy rain. The torrential storms can last several months and are vital to agriculture. In the winter, the northeast monsoon blows cold, dry air from the central Asian mountains to the sea, bringing dry, dusty conditions.

 
 Land use and ownership

90% of families in Kerala own a piece of land - usually the land that they live on. To ensure that a plot is available for everyone, land ownership is restricted to eight hectares per family. 26% of land is given over to rice production, which is grown on a subsistence basis. Much land has been degraded by deforestation and subsequent erosion.

 
 Kerala's Environment

  Why does deforestation happen?
 
  • Demand for fuel
  • Mining / Dam projects
  • Pressure from agriculture
  • Some trees growing in the forest are very valuable,
    e.g. Teak, Sandalwood, Rosewood, Mahogany
India, with its population of 950 million, has stretched its ecology to breaking point. It is the 10th most polluted country in the world, while its air pollution is the 7th worst on earth. In cities with one million people or more, the air is the equivalent of smoking 20 cigarettes per day! Almost three-quarters of India's water is polluted. Kerala's solution is to promote 'green' industry, based on high technology and high value products.

Maybe the answer to some of India's environmental problems may lie in traditional cultures. Many Keralese tribes regard their local environment as sacred. Small pockets of forest and wildlife living there and dedicated to their Gods, which would be angered and seek revenge if the forest were damaged. More than 760 of these areas of forest protect 720 species of plants!

 
 Plants of Kerala

Kerala State is home to 15,000 species of plants, including 2,000 species of Orchids! Besides the natural diversity, many species of plants are useful to local people. As well as the plants used to make products for export (e.g. Coconut), many plants are used for food and materials. Rice forms a staple part of the diet for most Keralese people. There is, however, a predominance of cash crops: 92% of India's rubber trees grow in Kerala, 70% of coconut palms, 60% of tapioca (from cassava) and 100% of lemongrass.

Many plants are used for medicinal purposes too: the Sacred Lotus is used in several ways:

Other plants are used to treat conditions including Jaundice, Dysentry and Diabetes. Some plants have produced medicines which are now used throughout the world. In accord with the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity, tribal people who first discovered the medicinal properties of the plants have been rewarded financially through royalty payments.