Kerala Needs Coconut Pickers — So Women Are Stepping In (And Climbing Up)
In Kerala, a part of India known as "land of coconuts," male coconut pickers are turning to other jobs. Women are among the new trainees.
A few years ago, Veena had a problem: She couldn't find anyone willing to pick her coconuts.
Veena is a 37-year-old housewife who, like many people in South India, goes by one name. She lives on a small family farm in Kerala, dotted with coconut palms.
Kerala — "land of coconuts" in the local language, Malayalam — used to have plenty of coconut pickers for hire. They were usually lower caste men who'd shimmy up the trees and pick the nuts for a fee.
But about a generation ago, Kerala's economy began changing. More and more workers in India's southern states, like Kerala,, where they could earn more and send extra money home. Others sought higher-paying office jobs as the economy and state investments in education and health improved.
