The rate of growth of plants in the Miyawaki model of afforestation - On an average, they grow to a height of 6-7 metres a year in Kerala. We witnessed this at the Miyawaki site in Kanakakkunnu. However, in other places, the plants grew only 3-4 metres. Miyawaki’s colleagues themselves expected a rate of only one metre per year in Japan but admitted that growth up to 2 metres was possible. The reason why trees grow faster in Kerala is because we do not have winter. Winter stunts plant growth. Kerala gets up to six months of rain, a factor that works positively. These two reasons have contributed tremendously to the huge success of the Miyawaki model in Kerala. The only other state in India that shows a comparable growth rate is perhaps Odisha. The reason could be the climate. Another unusual phenomenon we observed was that many trees began to bear fruit within one year, an indication of full growth! Thus the Miyawaki model will guarantee quick results in fruit tree farms and medicinal gardens in Kerala.