EVEN in Kerala’s scorching summer, Chunda Kuruvakkavu, a hamlet in Kannapuram of Kannur district, is surprisingly cool. Huge mango trees shield people from the blistering sun, forming a lush green canopy over rooftops. This picturesque little village is a treasure for Kerala and for India. Twenty middle-class families living here have conserved 102 local mango varieties on small pieces of land in a radius of just 300 metres.
Two years ago, on July 22, National Mango Day, the Kerala State Biodiversity Board recognized Kuruvakkavu as a Mango Heritage Area and Kannapuram panchayat as a Mango. . .