85 Introduction In order to uplift the poor socio-economic conditions of the farm women by raising the level of farm productivity, income and employment with application of agricultural technologies generated at research institutes, trainings are being conducted at ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Kattupakkam. Women are employed for various farm activities like seed sowing, transplanting, harvesting and maintenance of livestock and poultry. During these operations, women face lot of problems related to health and also time consumed for farm work is more than their normal activities. Livestock management forms an integrated system for livelihood for women in agriculture. Dairy farming is one of the important activities where women spend lot of time for managing the animal, feeding and milking. Amount spent for feeding the animal at present cost nearly Rs. 50-60/animal/day yielding 3-4 liters of milk/day along with green fodder feed @ 15kg/day. In order to reduce the cost on feed and also to improve the economic condition of the farm women and generate income Azolla cultivation training was given. The present paper brings out the importance of Azolla cultivation and income generated by the farm women through its cultivation. Azolla is water fern, having symbiotic relationship with bacteria Anabena Azollae. Azolla has very fast growing character. It doubles its biomass in 3-5 days. Extensively used as biofertilizer and green manuring for rice cultivation. The ideal condition for growth is at Temperature 20 °C-28 °C with Light 50% full sunlight, Relative Humidity 65-80%, Water (in standing condition) 5-12cm and pH 4-7.5. Azolla is very rich in proteins, essential amino acids, vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin B12, Beta Carotene), growth promoter intermediaries and minerals including calcium, phosphorous, potassium, ferrous, copper, magnesium. On a dry weight basis, Azolla has 25-35% protein content, 10-15% mineral content, and 7-10% comprising a combination of amino acids, bio-active substances and biopolymers [1]. Methods and Materials Azolla cultivation training was given at ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Kattupakkam where in women engaged in agricultural works under went training programmers. Method demonstration of different ways of cultivation such as pit method, silpauline sheet method, and cultivation in tubs, were demonstrated. Based on the available land area, the trained women cultivated Azolla in their farm for the purpose of feeding their dairy cattle. The soil in the selected area was cleared of weeds and leveled. Bricks were lined horizontally in a rectangular fashion. Silpauline sheet of 2mX2m size was uniformly spread over the bricks in such a way as to cover the margin of the rectangle made by the bricks. Ten to fifteen kg of sieved soil was uniformly spread over the silpauline Gayathri Subbiah 1 * and Vimalarani M 2 1 Plant Pathology, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, India 2 Department of Home Science, ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, India *Corresponding author: Gayathri Subbiah, Plant Pathology, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India Submission: August 31, 2017; Published: November 13, 2017 Azolla Cultivation in Generating Income for Farm Women Copyright © All rights are reserved by Gayathri Subbiah. Abstract During the last few decades rural women are engaged in agricultural activities like seed sowing, intercultural operations, harvesting, storage of grains and care and management of livestock and poultry. Women encounter drudgery in various works and spend more time in farm work than on household activities. In order to generate income for farm women and to reduce the amount spent on livestock feed and also to improve their livelihood, training on Azolla cultivation was conducted at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kattupakkam, Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu, India. Azolla is an aquatic fern having symbiotic relationship with bacteria Anabena Azollae, which fixes the atmospheric nitrogen. Method demonstrations were conducted on various ways of production. Based on the facilities available in their place, the trained women cultivated Azolla (viz., Pit size of 7X3ft and 7’’ depth) and used it as feed for their livestock. Nearly about 2-3kg of Azolla was harvested from each pit. Azolla as a source of livestock feed reduced the feeding cost which was spent for purchasing the feeding materials for poultry, goat and dairy cattle. By feeding of Azolla to dairy cattle, milk quality and yield has increased (100-150ml per day per animal) considerably. The Azolla produced in excess was sold at the rate of Rs. 10/kg to the other farmers as Azolla culture as well as feed for other cattles. Abbreviations: Farm women; Azolla; Livestock feed Research Article Approaches in Poultry, Dairy & Veterinary Sciences C CRIMSON PUBLISHERS Wings to the Research ISSN: 2576-9162