Livelihoods from the cows and oxen

[Guest guest]

Haribol prabhu

 

Thank you for your straight-up and inspiring suggestions. I guess it's

importance has been repeated again & again on this conference. But good to

hear you have positive hope for us cowherds that there's a market for our

livelihood. We should indeed explore this... I'm not the business-type of

person though, rather a sentimental cowboy.

 

One remark:

 

<<I think a very positive step in this conference will be an ethos of

vigorous

encouragenment for devotees to make their livelihoods from oxpowered

agriculture.

 

This is a good suggestion, but encouragement is already there I think. I'm

afraid that will not prove sufficient. I would add to it:

" and for managers to set up systems of support for devotees who wish to get

started"...

 

Any sane society has its support system for farmers who want to get started.

Unfortunately under the temporary climat this just serves gross exploitation

of both animals and the Earth. We should prove the proper practices of

farming, but defenitely lack any support. Just look at how our Ministry has

to somehow function for one... What to speak of those wanting to make a

livelihood from agriculture. Just to get started only is already such a

hardship and in most cases enough to discourage anyone away from the idea.

I speak from personal experience... if I would have had the support needed,

I would be developping my farm by now. I just lost a wonderful opportunity

to buy a farm (cheap) just because I lack the money. I just don't have any

after having dedicated myself for 3 years to the temple. And this is just

peanuts. I know there's many others in more dramatic situations ...

so for now I'm stuck with my desire only and taken realisitically it will

take me years to get sufficient money together (unless a similar opportunity

pops up again, but it's unlikely... prices are going up continually).

 

So for our future generations of cowherds and to avoid further embarrasments

of abuse and even slaughter, we should seriously develop support systems to

first of all EDUCATE people in the proper practices, then HELP THEM

FINANCIALLY to get started and FOLLOW UP their projects. All this has also

been suggested in this conference several times, but I'm just repeating it

here... there seems to be some power in repetition.

 

Just encouragement will not be enough...

 

dirk