Excess land- can it be true?

[Guest guest]

It is remarkeable reading to see that a number of devotees have expressed

frustratioon at not being able to farm land, and on the other side we hear

there is excess land.

 

Firstly is it true that there are tracts of spare land within our ISKCON

communities and if so where exactly are they.

 

We have 600 acres of land at New Gokula, Australia. Currently, much less

than 1 acre is used for

producing food- of course this does not include pasture. So it may be argued

that when there is

insufficient land for the number of cows, that can lead to starvation should

any land be taken from

them for producing food, so there is not really land available. However,

(1): land capacity is

greatly affected by pasture management; (2): out of the 3 farms here in

Australia, 2 have stopped

breeding for many years, leading to a sharp decline in number of cows. They

now have land

available especially as the acreages are very large- 5,000 at New

Govardhana. Easily there is much

acreage for growing more food.

(3) Starvation has resulted from non-self-sufficient techniques not

self-sufficient ones. Breeding

cows for profit-i.e. mass breeding. One cow can supply several families for

years for their needs.

If profit breeding stops and cows are bred at a very controlled rate, the

birth and death rate can be

matched, and the numbers can remain static. Their offspring can be engaged

in agriculture-

producing necessities- which will further ensure their protection,

especially if the vaisya families

have their own personal cows and bullocks.

Of course, this is only possible where there is CURRENTLY sufficient pasture

for the herd. If

not, then no breeding of course, until numbers sufficiently decline.

 

ys, niscala...your proposals are ...

 

 

Could there not be a proposal by this conference in a similar way as the

minimum standards were set up, to make policies, to make this land (if inded

there is such land) available to agriculturists.

 

Such land would have to be farmed according to strict ISKCON standards. Some

of those standards could be (acknowleding the minimum cow satndards):

-All farm land worked by oxen

-No machinery used that can be reasonably done by oxen

-All land farmed organicaly

-No herbicides nor pesticedes

-10%(perhaps) of products/profits given to temple as land rent

 

A family could go onto the land relatively easily with a policy like this.

No need to buy the land. Housing or caravaning of course would be the

responsibility of the farmer. Perhaps even the communities could give a home

for ox farmers as an incentive to get them onto the land and work the oxen.

 

A good policy for the use of farmland with easy access would be a great step

forward for oxpower.

 

 

 

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