Abstract
This paper attempts to assess Bamboo resources in Agroforestry home gardens of Kerala during 2004-2005 and to examine the extent of its decline between 1987-1988 and 2004-2005. Total standing crop of bamboo in home gardens in Kerala was estimated as 13.61 million culms and its green weight was 0.331 million tonnes during 2004-2005. There are six species of Bamboo, including reed, available in Agroforestry home gardens of which Bambusa bambos is the dominant species, accounting for 96 per cent. A comparison of the growing stock of Bamboo during 1987-1988 and 2004-2005 indicates that there was a reduction in the growing stock by about 0.077 million tonnes (37 per cent) from 0.408 million tonnes during 1987-1988 to 0.331 million tonnes during 2004-2005. The study also highlights that due to massive harvesting of Bamboos in recent past, availability of matured clumps was not high in the State. Some socio-economic reasons of the decline in Bamboo resources are also cited in the paper.
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