|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
THE basis of all human civilisations across the world has been the struggle for survival. In the arid desert region of the Thar, this struggle reflects starkness of the terrain and the harshness of the climate. Extreme heat and dryness, scarcity of water, sparse vegetation mark the lives of the desert communities and their animals, who play a vital role in sustaining rural livelihood and the desert economy as a whole.
However, there has been an interesting shift in the patterns of animal husbandry. According to Animal Census by the Rajasthan Animal Husbandry Department, the number of cows registered a decline from 1,09,16,000 in 1988 to 1,08,53,000 in 2003. The number of goats, on the other hand, rose from 1,25,93,000 in 1988 to 1,68,08,000 in 2003. People say maintaining a large animal, like a cow, during famine is a big drain on their diminished resources. Getting adequate fodder is difficult, which leads to a decrease in milk production. The last option remains to sell the cow but this too is a hurdle. There are simply not enough buyers with required finances. In extreme situations, the cows are simply let loose to wander about and to eventually meet their painful destiny. As an age-old proverb of desert says goats do not die of hunger in famine. They can survive on dry branches and leaves. Village communities vouch for this and are seeing the merit of shifting to goat breeding. According to the locals, there is hardly a plant that the goat does not eat, even bitter ones like Mudar (Aak), and Tumba (Indrayan). Goats also produce milk although in lesser quantities. Yet there are advantages. A person can own between 10 and 12 goats, which will correspond to owning one cow. It is far easier to sell a goat, even during famine, with prices of animals falling. Villagers say that one can find a buyer within the village itself, thus sparing the efforts to go to large cattle fairs or markets. There is yet another advantage which makes goat rearing in the words of a local villager ‘a dependable business for us’. Goats multiply faster and in a year, the number of goats in a family can easily double. For the desert community, it is a win-win situation. As Dera Ram, a farmer from Aada Gaon says, "We look at our goats like a fixed deposit in the bank and sell it according to our needs." Indeed, it works admirably like a security deposit to be broken down for liquidity at any time. No wonder then, the goat is the new currency in the desert. Yet the policy in place seems to lag behind and has not woken up to this new reality. Programmes and schemes for animal protection are still weighed in favour of animals like the cow, bullocks and sheep, which dominated the scene earlier. There are no corresponding efforts for goat breeding or protection during normal times, much less during famine. It is not included in the Famine Code and, thus, no provisions of water, fodder and grain during famine from the government. There is another
dimension. It is clear that goat breeding is accessible to a far
larger section of rural society and plays a critical role in ensuring
their livelihoods in times of crises. Even the weakest and most
vulnerable sections like women, dalits, elderly can possess 10 goats
or so, thus having the potential to broad-base economic progress
across and within rural society. — ANI
|
||
|
|
||
Traditionally
the cow has occupied the place of pride in a desert economy; its
ownership mainly with large farmers and animal breeders. Sheep are
also kept both for their milch-producing features and wool too. The
goat used to come way below these two favourites.