Homestead Farming in Kerala: A Multi-Faceted Land-Use System

Homestead farming, prevalent in different parts of the world, presents an excellent example of the many systems and practices of agroforestry. The homestead is an operational farm unit in which a number of crops (including tree crops) are grown, along with rearing of livestock, poultry or fish, mainly for the purpose of meeting the farmer's basic needs. Homesteads or home gardens, with special reference to Kerala, have been enumerated and their key characteristics summarised in this paper. Homestead farming satisfies the requirements of sustainability by being productive, ecologically sound, stable, economically viable, and socially acceptable. However, land-use changes, availability of agricultural labour, and falling commodity prices are major constraints in homestead farming in Kerala. Future strategies to improve homestead farming should aim at watershed-based development with focus on a whole-farm or systems approach; restructuring and refining existing home gardens, and developing sustainable models through a farmer-participatory approach for each agro-ecological zone; forming homestead clusters; creating germplasm registers; bridging the yield gap by improving crop productivity; developing post-harvest technology of home garden products; generating non-farm employment opportunities; promoting and improving rural financial networks; providing essential rural infrastructure; creating coalitions to address policy concerns at all levels; and broadening consumer perspectives.