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Commercial cultivation of the red alga Kappaphycus alvarezii (Doty) Doty has been satisfying the demand of the carrageenan industry for more than 40 years. For the past four decades, this species has been globally introduced to many maritime countries for experimental and commercial cultivation as a sustainable alternate livelihood for coastal villagers. Accompanying the introduction is an increasing concern over the species effects on the biodiversity of endemic ecosystems. The introductions of non-endemic cultivars have resulted in the adaptation of quarantine procedures to minimize bioinvasions of additional invasive species. The present review focuses on Kappaphycus farming techniques through the application of biotechnological tools, ecological interactions with endemic ecosystems, future K. alvarezii farming potentials in Asia, Africa, and the Pacific, and the challenges for prospective farmers, i.e., low raw material market value, diseases, grazing, etc. The introduction of Kappaphycus cultivation to tropical countries will continue due to the high production values realized, coastal villages searching for alternative livelihoods, and the increased global industrial demand for carrageenan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Science & Society Division of Department of Science & Technology, Government of India sanctioned a project in 2005 under the Woman Scientist Program (DST WOS-B) with an objective to develop technologies for the cultivation of high-value seaweeds widely used for industrial purposes/human consumption with empowerment of the coastal communities in Kerala. The project was divided into two phases: an experimental/investigational phase and an extension phase. In the experimental phase, pilot-scale culture experiments were conducted to evaluate the possibility and feasibility of the cultivation of the red alga, Kappaphycus alvarezii, in the southwest coast of Kerala. Pilot-scale studies of seaweed culture were conducted in the shallow subtidal waters on the Vizhinjam Harbor area in two bamboo rafts tied with seeds of K. alvarezii (100 ± 1.20 g) following accepted culture and growth monitoring procedures. The first harvest was carried out after 45 days and the growth was nearly eight times the initial biomass (826 ± 2.80 g). A group of local fishermen were trained in the fabrication of culture rafts, implanting seed material, rearing the seedlings with periodical monitoring, harvesting, and post-harvest technologies like drying, sorting, packing, etc. as part of the pilot-scale study. The pilot-scale efforts showed good scope for the further expansion of the large-scale cultivation of K. alvarezii in the southwest coast of Kerala by imparting training and adopting fishermen families for their additional employment/alternative livelihood. Success in the pilot-scale cultivation led to the second phase of the project, the extension phase, which fulfilled the main objectives of the DST WOS-B programme. Vizhinjam Gramapanchayat (village), where the pilot-scale cultivation was carried out successfully and headed by a woman president, came forward to pool resources of the project to be implemented as a Model Seaweed Cultivation Programme. A training/workshop on 'seaweed farming technology' was conducted and nearly 60 people were trained. Mangalam purusha sahaya sangham, a registered self-help group (SHG) of Vizhinjam, came forward to start the culture operations at Vizhinjam with technical backup from the DST-WOS-B Programme. Some seaweed entrepreneurs from inside and outside Kerala also came forward with a 100% buyback guarantee for the produce. Nationalised banks like the State Bank of India offered loans to trained SHGs for starting seaweed cultivation at commercial scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]