Guest guest Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 - <newsletter (AT) csenews (DOT) org> <newsletter (AT) csenews (DOT) org> Thursday, December 08, 2005 6:05 PM The 'other' food crisis - CSE news bulletin[Dec. 8, 2005] > Please add CSE's fortnightly news bulletin to your Address Book so > this newsletter doesn't get filtered or tossed into your bulk folder > > ============================= > > CSE's Fortnightly News Bulletin [Dec. 8, 2005] > > ============================= > > An e-bulletin from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), > India, to our network of friends and professionals interested in > environmental issues. Scroll to the bottom of this page for > information on how to . > > > > < http://www.cseindia.org/programme/industry/index.htm > > Email: monali (AT) cseindia (DOT) org > Mobile: +91-9811808883 > This will make you weep. This is what is happening all around here. and all over India ys Labangalatika dasi > ================================ > > Editorial: The 'other' food crisis > > ================================= > > There is so much about rural India that escapes notice that one more > area of neglect will not break the camel's back. I am talking about > the crisis of fodder for livestock. A grim silence surrounds it. 'Grim > ', because in rural India, domestic animals aren't 'pets' but engines > that drive the economy. They provide resilience and wealth -- people > cope with adverse conditions because of their livestock. But no policy > exists on how to feed these 500 million or so animals. Rural India > today isn't fodder-secure, and the grim reality is that food security > in this country is not possible without fodder security. > > Fodder insecurity begins with the question: where are these animals to > get their food from? In India, less land has been set aside for > domestic livestock than for 'flora and fauna': protected areas such as > sanctuaries and national parks sprawl over 15 million hectares (ha), > while land classified as 'permanent pastures' cover 11 million ha. > Moreover, over the years, these 'permanent pastures' have shrunk or > simply degraded. > > In addition, there officially exists 13 million ha of land classified > as 'culturable wasteland'. Couldn't such land provide fodder? Yes, but > not country-wide: only two states, Rajasthan and Gujarat (both > livestock-dependent), account for roughly half such land. Also, > 'culturable wastelands' are controlled by state revenue departments: > usually, the rich are allowed to encroach upon them, or politicians > distribute them as 'largesse' under so-called land reform programmes. > If these lands, critical for rural life-support, don't get gobbled up, > they remain neglected and degraded. > > Animals survive by foraging on available land and on agricultural > residues. But the productivity of our common lands -- forest and > revenue land -- are pathetic; grass yields on these are mostly > illusionary. Sheer grazing pressure ensures animals literally nibble > away a pasture's productivity, suppressing regeneration of grasses and > tree fodder. Add to these the fact that agricultural production is > stagnating, or that farmers are shifting to crops that do not yield > fodder. The result? Crisis. > > How serious is this crisis? We don't know, empirically. What we know > is that unlike most other neglected issues -- be it fuelwood to cook > food or water to drink or food to avert famine or malnutrition > deaths -- this is a crisis about many kinds of neglect. First, it > concerns the very poor that depend on livestock to survive another > tomorrow. Second, it relates to the country's most neglected lands: > common forests. Third, it is about neglected animals. > > So it is that I say: we must know now, to find the ways ahead. Trying > to put together a fodder-scenario is literally like catching straws in > the wind. Every time I travel to villages in dry and drought-prone > areas, or forested areas, I enquire about fodder. Poor people, living > within what we would believe is a non-cash economy, tell me what they > spend on buying fodder. That in the dry months, of peak shortage, they > end up spending as much as Rs 6,000 - 7,000 of their household income, > buying fodder at Rs 500-800 per tonne. > > Ghazala Shahabuddin and her colleagues, studying villages in and > around the Sariska Tiger Reserve, find similar trends. They report > that even in villages located within forests, pastoral households > spend 31 per cent of their household expenditure on buying fodder - > commercial and farm fodder. This is the single largest expenditure > after food. In times of fodder stress, it costs a livestock owner Rs > 600 - 1,000 per month to feed a buffalo. When milk yields improve, and > the buffalo owner gets an average daily yield of two litres per > buffalo, then selling this milk at Rs 10 per litre provides Rs 3,000 > per month. But such yield is seasonal, so this earning is temporary; > expenditure on fodder, on the other hand, remains constant year-round. > > Couldn't the solution to the above problem be animals with higher > milk-yields? The problem is also that animals with higher milk > yields -- the crossbred cows our planners are fond of -- need better > quality fodder. These animals do not forage on degraded land; they > require stall-feeding. Improving the animal economy, then, demands > improving the quality and quantity of fodder available to livestock. > But this has simply not been planned for, or done. > > The fact is that the fodder crisis is part of the larger land and > water crisis of rural India. Better agricultural productivity on > private lands is a sure-shot source of additional fodder. But this > productivity is limited by the non-availability of water to irrigate > crops. Every time I ask people why they persist in taking their > animals to graze in forestlands, I am told that part of the problem is > there is no water to grow crops, and so, no agricultural residues for > animals to eat. Water then becomes the first enabling tool. It is, > therefore, imperative that we link fodder security to water > security -- building water recharge structures for irrigation. > > But this is still half the story. The other half relates to the > largest grazing lands -- the common lands -- degraded through sheer > pressure. It is understood these lands ought to be regenerated. But > what needs to be further understood is that such regeneration is not > possible without factoring in the animal economy. Building boundary > walls to keep grazing animals out will not succeed; the pressure is > too great. Planting non-browsable species will also not work. In the > past, this has always led to greater shortage of fodder and, > domino-like, to greater pressure on forestlands. It has always led to > an unproductive stalemate between the forester and the grazier. It is, > therefore, clear we also need to link fodder security with forest > security -- replanting and regenerating our vast common lands. > > But all this is still not the real story. The real story is that this > is an 'other' food crisis, raging through a forgotten animal world. > > -- Sunita Narain > < editor (AT) downtoearth (DOT) org.in > > > Read this editorial online >> > http://www.downtoearth.org.in/cover_nl.asp?mode=2 > > > ================================= > > Hands-on training programmes > > ================================= > > Water Pollution and Urban Sewage Management > [New Delhi, Jan. 16 - 20, 2006] > > This course familiarises participants with viable, cost effective > alternatives to the flush-and-dilute paradigm of human waste disposal > management. It comprises a critique of current water-waste, pollution > management practices and policies, and presents an alternative > paradigm more suited to the Indian context. Hands-on workshops enable > participants to plan, design and monitor localised wastewater > treatment and reuse systems. This course has been designed keeping a > broad audience in mind, including engineers, researchers, architects > and urban planners, NGO representatives, researchers, policy makers in > India and around the world. > > Programme Modules: > - Status of water pollution and management in Indian cities > - Research on water-waste linkages > - Alternate wastewater management paradigms > - Fundamentals of wastewater treatment > - Plan, design, implement & monitor a localised wastewater system > - Reuse of treated wastewater > - Norms and laws on pollution and wastewater treatment > - Understanding Eco Sanitation > - Site visits, design workshops, practical sessions and more. > > For details and to apply online >> > http://www.cseindia.org/misc/water-pollution.htm > > > ================================= > > More in Down To Earth magazine > > ================================= > > Home sweet yuck - Mumbai apartments being built on toxic waste. > > In Mumbai, land means the chance to achieve the dream of home > ownership. But what price are Mumbai residents willing to pay for this > dream? > > Read complete story>> > http://www.downtoearth.org.in/cover_nl.asp?mode=3 > > ----------------------------- > > Does BT bring better times for Punjab? > > After years of plummeting production, Punjab is now flooded with > cotton thanks to the state promoted Bt crop. However falling support > prices, and ecological concerns raise new issues. > > An in-depth look at Punjab farmers' unique experience with Bt cotton. > > Read complete story>> > http://www.downtoearth.org.in/cover_nl.asp?mode=4 > > > ----------------------------- > > Film Review: > > Documentary>> Litigating disaster (Directed by Ilan Ziv) > > December 3, 1984: The biggest industrial disaster of all times strikes > Bhopal. More than 20 years later, the victims still await justice. > Director Ilan Ziv uses the litigation as the narrative thread for the > film. > > Read complete review>> > http://www.downtoearth.org.in/cover_nl.asp?mode=5 > > > ================================= > > CSE films and books > > ================================= > > A fresh look at water: A package of five CSE publications covers the > theoretical and practical aspects of water policy, management and > implementation in India. > > "Making Water Everybody's Business" and "Dying Wisdom" analyse the > technologies, traditions and policies of water management. The "Water > Harvesters' Manual", "Wastewater Recycling Manual" and "Tanks of South > India" give you all you need to practically implement urban water > harvesting and wastewater management. > > Order online at (secure gateway) >> > http://csestore.cse.org.in/store1.asp?sec_id=1&subsec_id=20 > > > > The Rain Catcher > > CSE's latest film is a clear and comprehensive resource guide. It > answers all your questions about rainwater harvesting and documents > successful case studies ranging from slums to sports stadiums. Covers > policy dimensions, products, technologies and maintenance issues > across India. > > VCD & DVD. Region code free-PAL >> > http://csestore.cse.org.in/store1.asp?sec_id=4&subsec_id=27 > > For questions contact>> > films (AT) cseindia (DOT) org > > > ================================= > > CSE is hiring! > > ================================= > > CSE is looking for a 'Business Development Manager'. Preferably an MBA > with an understanding of e-marketing and direct selling. Will lead a > team selling information products - training programmes, publications > and advertising space. > > Only professionals with at least five years of experience need apply. > Email resume to: Jagdeep Gupta <jgupta (AT) cseindia (DOT) org> by December 10, > 2005 > > To learn more about this and other opportunities at CSE>> > http://www.cseindia.org/joinus-index.htm > > > =============================== > > About this email > > =============================== > > You are receiving this newsletter because you have asked to be > included in our list, attended a CSE event or requested information. > To stop receiving this e-bulletin, please e-mail: feedback (AT) csenews (DOT) org > with the word '' in the subject. > > CSE is an independent, public interest organisation that was > established in 1982 by Anil Agarwal, a pioneer of India's > environmental movement. CSE's mandate is to research, communicate and > promote sustainable development with equity, participation and > democracy. > > Contact CSE: http://www.cseindia.org/aboutus/feedback.htm > E-mail: < cse (AT) cseindia (DOT) org > > Privacy policy: http://www.cseindia.org/misc/privacy.htm > Address: 41 Tughlakabad Institutional Area, New Delhi - 110062 > > Tell us if you know a colleague or friend who might enjoy this > newsletter > > © Centre for Science and Environment > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.