Dear Shree Padre, Permit me to copy your query to the online network Goanet, since I believe much in the power of collective wisdom. Goanetters, Shree Padre is a respected journalist living in north Kerala (just outside Mangalore) and involved in farm and water journalism. His knowledge of, and commitment to, rainwater harvesting is impressive.
In Goa, the coconut and its by-products go into making handicrafts (Coco Franco in Camurlim, Bardes is one such person), while the PVV group has also been using it to cover their bottles. Local villages use this tree (which, strangely, is not considered a "tree" under the local Tree Act!) for a range of products, right from rafters for their roofs to brooms for sweeping traditional village floors. When I met a community radio campaigner from the Philippines, he was telling me about virgin coconut oil -- something I had never heard of earlier, though there are a number of pages about it, and how to create it, on the internet. Vinegar is also another by-product of the coconut toddy. But I'm not sure if this product is widely used in Indian cooking apart from in places like Goa. Dessicated coconut is being created, but am not sure if this done in Goa. Probably some of the agricultural universities in coastal Maharashtra have also done some work on this. Have you thought of contacting the Solutions Exchange network of the UN in Delhi SEE: Solution Exchange: an Initiative of UN Country Team in India Solution Exchange is a new initiative of the United Nations Country Team in India that offers communities of development practitioners a UN-sponsored space ... www.solutionexchange-un.net.in/ Unfortunately, in Goa, the coconut economy seems to be collapsing, in part at least, because we don't have the 'coconut plucker schools' that Kerala has, and while it probably makes good economic sense to enter this field, there are class and dignity-of-labour issues which block sufficient new entrants among the younger generations. --FN * * * Dear FN, Yours is a coconut paradise. I know there is a family in Goa that makes lot of Value additions from Coconut shell. I'm interested to know about any other value additions happening around you. Maybe with the exception of coconut fenny. We at Adike Patrike are studying & throwing light on Coconut VA. Got some interesting stories from Kerala. Virgin Coconut Oil is a new product that has very good future. But the benefits can be bagged only if farmers or farmer groups venture out this. Regards, Shree Padre Water Journalist Post Vaninagar Via: Perla - Kerala, 671 552 Phone : 04998 - 266148 E-mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web : http://www.farmedia.org/profiles/Padre.html http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/People/RuralJY.htm#shre http://www.goodnewsindia.com/Pages/content/conservation/shreePadre.html http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/mar212006/spectrum1554472006320.asp http://www.farmedia.org/adikepatrike.html http://www.civilsocietyonline.com/Sept07/sep077.asp Jal hai to kal hai -- Frederick Noronha http://fn.goa-india.org Ph +91-832-2409490 Links from Goa: http://goalinks.livejournal.com/