Uttara Kannada District Research Articles

Survey and documentation of timber species converted at sawmills of Sirsi taluk, Uttara Kannada district of western ghat region, Karnataka

Survey and documentation of timber species converted at sawmills of Sirsi taluk, Uttara Kannada district of western ghat region, Karnataka

Living in the forest as a pluriverse: nature conservation and indigeneity in India’s Western Ghats

This study examines the multi-tiered manifestation of the natural environment and social-ecological milieu of people living in a tiger reserve, located in the Uttara Kannada district in the Indian state of Karnataka. The Kali Tiger Reserve is in the northwestern part of the Western Ghats, which is a designated biodiversity hotspot and home to wildlife such as the Bengal tiger and the Indian elephant. After the forest was designated as a tiger reserve, the Kunbi people living in this area were excluded from the laws and policies designed to promote nature conservation. Their traditional hunter-gatherer activities and agricultural practices became severely restricted and were subjected to management and surveillance by the Forest Department. This demonstrates the operation of biopower acting in line with the distinction between rare animal species deemed worthy of being kept alive and human beings who are not, and are thus left destitute. In this situation, the Kunbi attempt to recover their legal rights to land and forest resources by invoking the Forest Rights Act and petitioning the state government to designate them as a scheduled tribe. Moreover, they struggle to maintain their emotional ties to the forest by creatively modifying their ritualistic hunting groups. The Kunbi's attempt to deal with their plight by participating in the modern political arena, while placing themselves within the realm of nature, shows that modernity and indigeneity exist in an inseparable duality. This study examines the experiences of people living in this duality by focusing on their emotions regarding the forest and efforts to deal with conflicts over the tiger reserve, which is simultaneously considered to be the natural environment as well as their intimate Umwelt.

Study on an Introduction to Halakki Tribes at Uttara Kannada District

Study on an Introduction to Halakki Tribes at Uttara Kannada District

Factors Influencing Utilization of Market Led Extension Practices by the Farmers

Indian agriculture has marked a greater progress since independence in the areas of technology, infrastructure, economics, education and communication. The extension system’s objective of focusing on mere agricultural production should be extended beyond marketing, in order to promote all-round empowerment of the farmers. With a major thrust of extension agencies focused on production techniques till now, market led extension holds the key to the future. The present study was carried out to analyze the factors infl uencing utilization of market led extension practices by the farmers in grape, arecanut and maize crops. Ex-post-facto research design was used for conducting the study. The study was taken up in Uttara Kannada district for arecanut, Bagalkot and Vijayapura districts for grapes and Belagavi and Haveri districts for maize. The sample for the study was 240. Karl Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to identify the factors infl uencing utilization of market led extension practices by the farmers. The variables namely innovative proneness, scientifi c orientation, access to e-tools and membership in farmers’ organization in grapes, mass media participation, access to e-tools and farm resource base in arecanut and education, mass media participation and economic motivation in maize had signifi cant relationship with utilization of market led extension practices. These variables are the predictors of utilization of market led extension practices.

The Art, Dance, Music, Literature and Celebrations of Uttara Kannada District

The Art, Dance, Music, Literature and Celebrations of Uttara Kannada District

A Study on Siddhi Tribes of Yallapura Village in Uttara Kannada District

A Study on Siddhi Tribes of Yallapura Village in Uttara Kannada District

Attenuation of dermal wounds through topical application of ointment containing phenol enriched fraction of Caesalpinia mimosoides Lam.

Caesalpinia mimosoides Lam. is one of the important medicinal plants used by the traditional healers of Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka (India) for treating wounds. In our previous study ethanol extract of the plant was evaluated for its wound healing activity. In continuation, the present study was aimed to evaluate the phenol enriched fraction (PEF) of ethanol extract for wound healing activity along with its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. The potent wound healing activity of PEF was evidenced by observation of increased rate of cell migration in L929, 3T3L1 and L6 cells (92.59 ± 1.53%, 98.42 ± 0.82% and 96.63 ± 0.61% respectively) at 7.81 μg/ml doses in assays carried out in vitro. Significantly enhanced rate of wound contraction (97.92 ± 0.41%), tensile strength (973.67 ± 4.43 g/mm2), hydroxyproline (31.31 ± 0.64 mg/g) and hexosamine (8.30 ± 0.47 mg/g) contents were observed on 15th post wounding day in 5% PEF treated animals. The enzymatic and non-enzymatic cellular antioxidants (superoxide dismutase, catalase and reduced glutathione) were upregulated (15.89 ± 0.17 U/mg, 48.30 ± 4.60 U/mg and 4.04 ± 0.12 μg/g respectively) with the administration of 5% PEF. The significant antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities support the positive correlation of PEF with its enhanced wound healing activity. PEF contains expressive amounts of total phenolic and total flavonoid contents (578.28 ± 2.30 mg GAE/g and 270.76 ± 2.52 mg QE/g). Of the various chemicals displayed in RP-UFLC-DAD analysis of PEF, gallic acid (68.08 μg/mg) and ethyl gallate (255.91 μg/mg) were predominant. The results indicate that PEF has great potential for the topical management of open wounds.

Study on Estimation of Inhalation and Ingestion Dose due to <sup>222</sup>Rn Concentration in Different Types of Ground Water of Some Taluks of Uttara Kannada District, Karnataka, India

The primary goal of this study was to determine the risk due to radon concentration in drinking water. Water is essential for most of the life on the Earth, and the quality of drinking water is a key criterion for one's health. Radon (222Rn) and radium (226Ra) are the radioactive elements that can be found in water. Thirty samples of drinking water were collected in Haliyal, Joida, and Mundgod taluks of Uttara Kannada district. Emanometry technique was used to determine the concentration of 222Rn activity. The activity concentration of 222Rn in water varies between 3.78 ± 0.38 Bq l-1. and 135.96 ± 1.72 Bq l-1 with a mean value of 26.23 ± 0.65 Bq l-1. The cumulative average annual effective doses for all of the samples under investigation are well below the safe limit of 100 µSv y-1 suggested by WHO.

Prevalence Of Behavioural Disorders and Its Correlates Among Adolescents in Uttara Kannada, Karnataka –A Cross Sectional Study

Background: Childhood and adolescence are critical stages of life for mental health. This is a time when rapid growth and development takes place. Half of all mental health conditions start by 14 years of age but most cases are undetected and untreated. Behavioural patterns of adolescents are not much explored in India. In this study, we aim to assess the behavioural pattern and its correlates among adolescents in Karwar of Uttara kannada district, Karnataka. Methodology: It is a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study conducted on adolescents studying in Government Pre-University college of Karwar in the month of June and July 2019.The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to assess the mental health status of adolescents. The total difficulties score is used to categorize adolescents as normal (0-15) and high [borderline (16-19) and abnormal (20-40)]. Results: Although majority of adolescents were in the normal range, a significant number of adolescents were in borderline (18.4%) and abnormal (14.1%) SDQ scores. Binary logistic regression analysis shows that use of social media, abnormal emotional grade, conduct grade, hyperactivity grade, peer grade and impact grade were found statistically significant. Conclusion: Significant numbers of adolescents were in high range of SDQ scores and suffered from emotional, conduct, prosocial behaviour and hyperactivity problems.

Domestication and value addition of Artocarpus lakoocha

A study has been conducted in Joida taluk of Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka to assess the utilization,constraints and probable outcome expected by the Artocarpus lakoocha tree. A semi structured questionnairesurvey was conducted among the local people of different villages of Joida taluk. This species acts as asecondary source of income for rural people. The steps involved in the processing and marketing wererecorded. The actual market rate and cost of production was assessed and cost- benefit ratio was calculated.The cost-benefit ratio being 1:1.6 or 1:2 shows that value addition of this fruit is economically viable. Thoughthis fruit tree is only semi domesticated it provides plenty of products. Domestication and value addition ofthis fruit tree will be boon to the villagers as well as small scaled industries.

Practice and Preservation of Material Culture Among the Koraga Tribe of South Canara

The Koraga are a tribal community found mainly in the Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and Kodagu districts of Karnataka and the Kasaragod district of Kerala, South India. These Areas in Karnataka are altogether often referred to as Tulu Nadu. Material culture which is in practice among the Koragas and other tribe has been supporting them to lead self-sufficient life without any menace. However, as a result of industrialization, urbanization, market economy, governmental policies and rehabilitation etc. their material culture is fading. At this backdrop, the present paper analyzes the material culture of the Koraga tribe and also suggests the conservation of material culture.

Factors Determining the Impact of Krishi Vigyan Kendra Interventions and Farmers Constraints in Adoption

The study was conducted in the jurisdiction of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Sirsi of Uttara Kannada district during 2019-2021. Thirty beneficiary farmers of frontline demonstration (FLD) each from arecanut and pepper, thirty farmers trained in dairy management were selected forming a sample of 90 farmers. The farmers were interviewed using pre-tested schedule. It was found that education, family annual income, area under commercial crop, ICT utilization, extension participation, information seeking behavior, scientific orientation, resource base and nature of intervention had influenced the adoption behavior of the farmers. These variables together explained adoption to the extent of 81 per cent in case of arecanut, 79 per cent in pepper and 76 per cent in case of dairy farmers. The study revealed that majority (74.44 %) of the beneficiary farmers expressed climate change as major constraint followed by high cost of inputs (56.67 %), disease infestation (50.00 %), difficult to adopt (48.89 %), labor shortage (43.33 %), less clarity in technology (32.22 %), no person to guide while adopting (24.44 %) improved practices.

An Annotated Checklist of Ethno Medicinal Tree Species in Terakanahalli Reserve Forest area of Sirsi range, Karnataka, (India)

Sirsi town is situated in the midst of Northern Central Western Ghats of Karnataka State. The forests adjoining to the town are known for its natural diversified floral wealth. These plants are used by local people as herbal medicine. Present study aims to prepare a check list of existing tree species in Terakanahalli reserved forest area situated adjacent to Sirsi town. The list was presented according to the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group IV (APG-IV) system of classification. Study enumerated a total of 63 tree species belonging 32 families from Terakanahalli reserve forest area. Enlisted tree species belongs to diverse families particularly Leguminosae, Anacardiaceae, Moraceae and Combretaceae. Ethno medicinal uses from Uttara Kannada district were also indicated for the listed tree species. Globally, Santalum album and Garcinia indica are categorised as vulnerable species with declining population by IUCN. The study area is under pressure because of anthropogenic activity and it needs proper management and conservation practices for sustainability.

A Literary Study on Matravatashniyad: A Quantitative Food

Eating habits can cause obesity, diabetes, and increase certain risk factors for stroke, heart disease, and cancer and by depriving our bodies of the nourishment its needs can lead to poor nutrition. Rules for intake of food explained in Ayurveda can counter the food related disorders, Matravatashniyad is one among them. Objective: A review on Matravatashniyad. Method: Literary source of the present study is collected from the classical texts of Ayurveda, other Ayurvedic texts and Journals from Dhanvantari Ayurveda College Siddapura, Uttara Kannada District. Discussion: Ahara Matra based on Angi, Dravya Bheda, Kukshi, and Rashi. Person having strong, moderate and minimal digestive power ingest a food in maximum, moderate and less quantity respectively. Heavy food article should be taken either in three-fourth or half of own’s satisfaction and food articles which are Laghu does not cause over satisfaction. Stomach volume divided into 3 parts, 1 part is assigned to food, 1 part for drink and one part left for Vatadi Dosha movement. Consumption of rice, meat and soup in total combined quantity and in different quantity as in whole food are essential. Conclusion: Matravatahara, right quantity of food promotes the health as well as enhance the life span

Estimation of natural radioactivity and assessment of radiation hazard indices in soil samples of Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka, India

Estimation of natural radioactivity and assessment of radiation hazard indices in soil samples of Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka, India

Physico-chemical Parameters and Zooplankton Community at Sangave Pond in Uttara Kannada District, Karnataka, India

Physico-chemical Parameters and Zooplankton Community at Sangave Pond in Uttara Kannada District, Karnataka, India

Gamma Dose Rate and Annual Effective Dose Equivalent in Uttara Kannada District, Karnataka, India

Gamma Dose Rate and Annual Effective Dose Equivalent in Uttara Kannada District, Karnataka, India

Hydrogeological and Hydrochemical Characterization of Coastal aquifers with Special reference to Submarine Groundwater Discharge in Uttara kannada, Karnataka, India

Submarine groundwater discharges to the coastal ecosystems have been recognised as a source of dissolved chemical substances that cause chemical and ecological effects on sea waters. Groundwater, in many coastal areas, becomes contaminated or at least enriched with a variety of chemical substances and can have higher concentrations of dissolved solids than river water. As a result SGD makes a larger contribution to the flux of dissolved chemical compounds than river run-off. Therefore, the present investigation has been carried out to understand the process of submarine groundwater discharge based on hydrological, hydrogeological and hydrochemical components. Accordingly water balance components were evaluated based on hydrological and hydrogeological investigations. Hydrochemical parameters were also evaluated to understand the impact of seawater intrusion during both pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons of 2019. Study revealed that, there are signatures of considerable quantity of submarine groundwater discharge in parts of Honnavara, Kumta, Ankola and Karwar talukas. The influence of seawater in coastal aquifers is quite rare all along the coast of Uttara kannada district which is attributed to high groundwater recharge(15-20%) occurring in catchment areas.

Environment and/(or) Development: Competing Narratives from Uttara Kannada District, Karnataka

The Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka well known as the “Pepper Queen” during colonial times gradually declined in stature and came to be known as a backward, forest district in need of “development.” These concerns framed the post-independence debates on the development of the district in terms of forestry programs and hydroelectric power projects, to help in the growth story of India. In the post-liberalization period, we have observed increasing market- and state-led drives of “resource development and conservation.” In recent years, international recognitions have come to the region’s sustainable agricultural practices and to its rich biodiversity, and it is declared a Heritage site. The dominant agricultural community of the region, the Havyaks, known for their environmentally sustainable spice garden farming, are credited with spearheading environmental movements against the material practices of the state. This article attempts to understand the complex social ecology of the region and the multiple ways in which it is portrayed and the way people talk about it. It attempts to juxtapose the environmental narrative along with the development narrative of the district and to understand and map the complex ground realities that exist interlinking the local with the global.

From the Margins of the Spice Garden Economy: Agroforestry and Gendered Practices in the Western Ghats, Karnataka

The present coronavirus pandemic has created havoc in lives and livelihoods of people across the world. In just a few months, the world as we knew it has irretrievably changed. If one were to trace the roots of the crisis, it would lead one to the shift from sustainable farming systems to market-based systems that have increased agricultural productivity but have led to the breakdown of humanity’s relationship with nature. In the Malnad (up-ghat) region of the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, known for its diversified spice garden agroforestry practices, a similar change can be observed. Over the last decade, there has been an increasing conversion of paddy land and forest encroachments for cultivation of areca, leading to a change in the biodiversity of the region. The changes in the land use patterns and the destruction of the environment caused by infrastructure projects are among some of the important reasons that have resulted in increasing drought-like situations in an area known to be the wettest region of the Western Ghats and resulting in epidemics endemic to the region. However, in the shadow of the areca-spice garden economy of this region, there is a lesser known but growing economy—the home garden agroforestry. The gendered practices of the home gardens, run mainly by the women of the community, provide the vital everyday inputs for the household. Though high in terms of use value, the home gardens are low in terms of exchange value. It is in the context of mapping the cultural and developmental contours of this region that one tries to understand the gendered practices of the local communities that are a beacon of hope in times of a pandemic. In this article, one attempts to examine the marginal though crucial initiatives of women of this district to preserve the biodiversity of the region and provide for food in the kitchens. Finally, it attempts to connect the dots between gender, environment and development and argues for the adoption of a critical feminist political ecology perspective to analyse the gendered agroforestry practices.