livestock and livelihoods

[Guest guest]

>From Livestock and Livelihoods by Nitya Ghotge

 

 

"Unlike natural mamure , chemicals and synthetic cimpounds cannot replace the

the organic content of soils . Many cash crops exhaust the soil quickly. At

some future date , farmers who do not have sufficent animals or who have

sold their animals will be forced to buy organic manure from some other

source to revive and rejuvenate their soils.

 

Traditionally oil seed cakes were used to supplement animal rations. However

policy measures recommended the sale of oil seeds themselves . Once we began

to export our oil seeds there was insufficient oilseed cake available and

another critical ingredient in the diet of animals got reduced ,

 

On the other hand , urea, offered as subsidies to farmers was available and

so was molasses from sugar factories. The next discovery was the urea

molasses brick to supplement rations. The natural diet of animals slowly began

to get replaced with chemicals and synthetic compounds.

 

today in many parts of western Maharastra , the most agriculturally prosperous

part of the state, middle and small farmers who have shifted to modern farming

systems grow cash crops and vegetables to suit the urban market. Since they

do not have adequate fodder they have reduced the number of animals they keep.

They do not realise that fossil fuels are getting more and more expensive and

there are no modern energy solutions to replace them. They have sold the one

solution they had, draft animals . They also do not know how to predict the

market and blindly follow their more wealthy neighbours. they live under a

myth that they have progressed but the bitter truth is that if tomatoes do

well one year , everybody rushes to plant the same crop the next year and the

market price falls."

 

the last part reminds me of "sankirtan " at the airport. If someone did well

in one spot everyone would go there and no one would do anything. Sorry this is

beside the point. I think this book explains the decline of bullocks in

India, a lot to do with lack of fodder. And this decline is suicidal. for the

human population. too.

ys Labangalatika dasi

[Guest guest]

>They also do not know how to predict the

> market and blindly follow their more wealthy neighbours. they live under

a

> myth that they have progressed but the bitter truth is that if tomatoes

do

> well one year , everybody rushes to plant the same crop the next year and

the

> market price falls."

>

 

When dried beans started to be grown in North Dakota where I grew up and my

brothers still farm, the same thing happened. Some made some money, so lots

got involved, and the market crashed. My brother then went to auctions and

bought up bean growing and harvesting equipment at 10% of market value and

does eke out a little profit evry year on them becuase he doesn't have to

pro rate large costs for the equipment.

 

Little bit of a tangent, but that boom and bust cycle is true in farming.