Coconut: “The Tree of Life”Mai Kao Yang

• Theory- 80 million years ago- Southern Hemisphere, Gondwana

History (in theory)

• 4th-century B.C., Sanskrit’s writing • 1st –century to 4th century A.D, Tamil literature • India

- 2-3 thousands years ago, making it the oldest traditional crop grown

• Marco Polo- Expedition to India, recognize it as the “Pharaoh's nut”

History

Global Economy• 1996

1. Indonesia~ 3,745 hectares 6. Malaysia~ 2082. Philippines~ 3,093 7. Papua New Guinea~ 2603. India~ 1, 7964. Sri Lanka~ 4195. Thailand~ 377

• Kerala state is the lead of production in India

- Located at the south tip, bordering water and closest to equator

India

• Highly sensitive to soil moisture− Rainfall total of 1800 mm evenly throughout the year− As little as 1000 mm will prove to be optimum− Takes up to a year for coconuts to mature

o Bloom up to thirteen times a yearo Continuous harvest year-roundo Average harvest of 60 coconuts/ treeo Some trees yielding at three times that amount

Coconut Management

Technology

• A number of devices have been developed to assist in the processes of harvesting and dehusk coconut operation• Devices are electrical and/or solar generated

Traditional Method

Modern Method

Oil Milling

• Coconut crab aka robber crab− Type of hermit crab− 1 meter in length− 3 kilogram in weight− Can actually drown

• Cattle− By-product (oil cake) of coconut after extraction for oil

fuel

Consumption

• Most well- known- Coconut oil

• Recently start appearing and is on high demand- Nata-de-coco; meat of mature coconut- Desiccated coconut; dried and - shredded coconut flakes- Spray dried coconut cream powder- Skim milk

• 1930, misconception that coconut and coconut oil are health hazard- Thought to cause heart disease- Is pretty “fatty”, little over 50% of coconut contain

medium chain fatty acid, Lauric acid- Once in the human body it changes to monlaurins ,

which is found in mother’s breast milk• Coconut is the next best option to breast milk

Health Concern?!?!

• Powerful against- Antibacterial - Antiviral- Antifungal agents- HIV are sensitive to coconut oil

•Excellent moisturizer for dry skin•Coconut oil is absorbed quickly and give energy like carbohydrate

Addition Health Benefits

• Epic, classic Hindu stories: Ramayana• Coconut hold a high place in the Indian culture, no ritual or

ceremony is performed without it- Used in both social and religious ceremonies: worshipping,

marriages, festivals, decorations, etc.

• Small farmers are the backbone to the coconut culture• Coconut provide sole income but, the price of coconut is

determined by coconut oil which is influence by supplies and demand

Sociocultural

Case Study~ Coir Women Workers

Vaikom Taluk• Small village factory• 13% are without electricity • Employ regular 8-10 women each

day• Normal shift: 8 to 6 p.m.• High demand: two shift period

- 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

• Lunch hours 1.5 hours• Don’t interact with the middleman

Kadakkarappally Panchaysat

• Home-based cottage industry • 50% are without electricity• Majority of the women in the

village work in the factory • Work every day, except Sunday,• Shift from 8 to 5:30 p.m. • Work outside in all types of

weather• Interact with the middleman

Result

• Doesn’t matter if working in a small village factory or a home-based cottage industry

- Both wages and conditions remains the same for women coir workers in Kerala • Stakeholder: lack of technology is hurting, however, the women fear that with it, they will be put out of work

• Mix-cropping system- Australia: coconut, cocoa, coffee along with cattle grazing- Ceylon/ Sri Lanka: coconut, tea, and rubber

• Coir products: husk from the coconut are bio-degradability• India

- Biomass fuel supply average size family, 30-40 palm tree• Coconut oil fuel

- By- products: “oil cake” is fed to cattle

“The day of coconut as mainly or solely a monoculture appears to be almost over.”

Sustainability

The end

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