What are the advantages and disadvantages of sericulture?
Sericulture is the rearing of silk worms for the production of yarn. This supplements the income of farmers when practised along with agriculture. Some take to sericulture completely by cultivating mulberry. This is a high yield, high profit cultivation. Sometimes, while the men of the household carry on cultivation, women tend to the worms and adopt sericulture as a profession. This helps in women employment and empowerment.
A major downside of sericulture is that it is a huge risk for sometimes the silk worm can be diseased and the entire batch or lot can fail. Also, if mulberry cultivation is adopted, it affects the fertility of the soil hugely. It is difficult to restore the lost fertility of the soil and grow good crops thereafter.