Issue : 2 Article : 4
Strengthening the role of traditional livestock keeping communities towardsconservation and development of breeds, practices and rights
P. Vivekanandan, SEVA*, D.K. Sadana, NBAGR, Anil Gupta,IIMA, PK Singh,NBAGR & IlseKöhler-Rollefson, LPPS
Introduction
Indigenous breeds habituated in different agro climatic zone of India have evolved over several generations of natural selection and domestication and are well-adapted to their habitat and environment and are often a livelihood bastion forpoor households because they are easier to rearthan exotic breeds. They are capable of withstanding harsh climatic conditions, diseases and scarcity of feed, fodder and drinking water. In a world threatened by climate change, breeds that are resistant to drought, extreme climatic conditions or diseases are of major potential importance for the livelihood of rural poor.
Traditional pastoral communities in India such as raikas, maldharis, gaddis, gujjars, yadavas, gawlis, todas, konars,etc., play important role in the society by rearing avariety of livestock through nomadic or semi-nomadic way of life. They conserve local livestock breeds, which provide draught power, manure and valuable animal products such as meat, milk and wool to the society, and contribute to the economy of our nation. Over the last1½ decades, pastoral communities have been deprived of their grazing rights and they are marginalized, leading to loss of local knowledge, breeds and livelihoods. In order to protect their lifestyle and animal production system, there is need for policy-level intervention.
India has a rich repository of animal genetic resources with 144 registered breeds along with several populations not yet recognized, which needs characterization andrecognition.Government policy for intensive agriculture and commercial livestock keeping discourages rearingof native livestock breeds and it is therefore replaced with high-yielding dairy animals or fast growing exotic species,in order to maximize profit through productionof meat, dairy products, eggs, fibre, etc. Closing of forests/traditional grazing lands under the policy of “protected areas/sanctuaries/national parks”poses major threats tocustomary practices of village poor/nomadic pastoralists, who depend upon them for grazing animals for their livelihoods.
Gaining the government’s attention and creating awareness among those who actually conserve local breeds and attempting capacity building of such communities and livestockkeepers will be the starting point instopping decline of livestock genetic diversity. Improving knowledge of breeds and their production environments and developing suitable policies that support community-level conservation for native breeds is very important. SEVA,a NGO registered in 1992, has initiated focused activities by working withlivestock keepers and share their accumulated experience working at grassroots over the last two decades.
Breeders Association
SEVA has promoted pastoralists/herders/tribals (todas – Nilgiris)groups/associations oflivestock keepers to conserve Umbalacherry cattle, Toda buffalo, Kachakatti black sheep, Pulikulam cattle, Malaimadu cattle and Vembur sheep breeds and “Korangadu” pasture land in Nagapattinam, Ooty, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Sivagangai, Thoothukudi and Thiruppur districts of Tamil Nadu. SEVA facilitated localPanchayats to renovate common property resources (viz. animal drinking water ponds, tanks, bore wells in 14 places in Nagapattinam, Thoothukudidistricts ), arranged animal health camps, supplied breeding bulls and prepared action plan for conservation of 10 native animal breeds by involving all the stakeholders. In several cases, notably for Umbalachery cattle in Nagapattinam district, there has been a significant increase in population of the breed as an outcome.
The members of the association are breed keepers and they take part in regular savings programmes. The association convenes regular meetings and few workshops by collaborating with government for addressing their local issues related to grazing land, drinking water, animal disease, supply of bulls and construction of animal sheds. SEVA has provided small revolving fund to extend micro credit programme to the members.
Herbal treatment for animals
SEVA has organized farmers training programmes (2–3 days) to popularizelow-cost herbal treatment for animals in Tamil Nadu (70 villages), Karnataka (2 villages ) andKerala (3 villages), in which more than 5,000 farmers/livestock keepers were benefitted. SEVA has trained 120 youths in herbal treatment for animals through a 4-week training module and now they are becoming expert community animal healers in villages. Recently, the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease was devastating and more than 10,000 cattle and small ruminants in Tamil Nadu died and more than 500 animals were saved through low-cost herbal treatment (based on traditional knowledge),which any farmer can adopt.
ArticulatingLivestock Keepers Rights
LIFE Network members have developed the concept ofLivestock Keepers Rights and it is being articulated in many national and international fora and it is to be implemented by governments in order to realize the benefits for those who conserve native breeds of animals. It includesthree principles and six rights.
Principle 1: Livestock keepers are creators of breeds and they are the practical custodians of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture to the society.
Principle 2: Livestock keepers and the sustainable use of traditional breeds and their productsare dependent on the conservation of their respective ecosystems and their continued access to such naturalresources.
Principle 3: Traditional breeds represent collective property, products of social culture or indigenous knowledge, and innovation andpractices developed bylivestock keepers.
Based on these principles articulated and implicit in existing legal instruments and international agreements, livestock keepers from traditional livestock keeping communities and/or those adhering to ecological principles of animal production, shall be given the following livestock keepers' rights:
1. Livestock keepers have the right to make breeding decisions and breed the breeds they maintain including keepingbulls oflocal breedfor natural mating.
2. Livestock keepers shall have the right to participate in any policy formulation and implementation processes (on animal genetic resources for food and agriculture/joint forest management/forest working plan, etc.),which affect their life style, customary practices, access tograzing land and breeds they maintain.
3. Livestock keepers shall have the right to graze their animals in traditional grazing lands including forests or protected areas as per Forest Rights Act 2006/NationalPolicy for Farmers (2007), their migratory routesrecognizedand accessible to veterinary services during migration.
4. Livestock keepers shall have the right to appropriate training and capacity building and equal access to relevant services, enabling and supporting them to raise livestock and to better process and market their products to enabletheir status and income.
5. Livestock keepers shall have the right to be rewardedfor their efforts in keeping the localbreedsas provider ofservices to the societyandcompensated, if their animals/animal materials are takenforbreedmultiplicationor commercializationpurpose with their prior informed consent.
6. Livestock keepers shall have the right to participatein the identification of research needs and research design with respect to their genetic resources and access information, onissues related to their local breeds and livestock diversity.
Traditional pastoral communities in our country are known for keeping indigenous livestock breeds. These breeds are maintained in herds under migratory or semi-nomadic trans-human system. During rainy season, the customary practice of pastoralists grazing their livestock in forests has been officially permitted from pre-independence times. However, once the Joint Forest Management programme was implemented during the 1990s, grazing in the forest areas has been withdrawn and the pastoralists are excluded in participatory planning. In association with LIFE Network,NGOs and volunteers,SEVA lobbied for their grazing rights in forests and it has been successfully incorporated in “The Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006” (refer to Section 3(1)(d)). In this regard,they have prepared case studies/community protocols of Vangujjar pastoralists in Himalayan forests, Lingayat communities in Bargur forests (Erode), Malaimadu cattle pastoralists in Western Ghatsand working for their animal grazing rights in forests.SEVA has filed a petition with Central Empowered Committee of Supreme Court of India for restoring grazing rights of Raikacamel pastoralists and Malaimadu cattle herders during 2009. National Policy for Famers, 2007 has incorporated pastoralists rights undersection 6 of special categories of farmers.
Breed Saviour Awards for Conservation of Livestock Breeds
Recognition of ground-level efforts leading to conservation of indigenous breeds is a moral boosting approach for the livestock keepers. Recognition through cash & kind awards also carries a positive message among the keepers and other stakeholders for accepting the importance of the local breeds and for developing renewed perspectives on the relevance of local breeds in the local milieu. The concept of such awards was developed during 2008 by members of the LIFE Network and Honey Bee Network (a loose network of NGOs and individuals working on animal genetic resources and grassroots knowledge and innovations in the country). The issue was further discussed in a LIFE Network meeting at NBAGR, Karnal on 2 September 2008. National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), Chennai,has agreed to this concept and has been supporting this programme. Financial support was also provided by LPPS (LokhitPashu-PalakSansthan, http://www.lpps.org), an NGO. Necessary proformawasdeveloped and the modus of gathering cases and details on conservation at the field level from different parts of the country werefinalized during 2008 by the members of LIFE Network. The first Breed Saviour Awards werepresentedin 2009 in the presence of the NBA chairman and have since been continued annually with financial support from the NBA. Thus far,presentedto a total of 104 breed saviours, the awards have covered 52 recognized breeds and also the following defined populations: Gangatiri cattle, Belahi cattle, Kasargod cattle, Zo-Bawng cattle, Himalayan cattle, Mizo cattle, Binjharpuri cattle Nattumadu cattle, Malimadu cattle, Gojiri buffalo, Rairakhol buffalo, Ari-Adu sheep, Chevvadu sheep, Bhagli sheep, Boti sheep, Katchakatty Black sheep, NattuKaruppadu goat, Alwari goat, Kharai camel, Ankamali pig, Hanseel poultry, Hajra Poultry, Indian Runner duck, andKuji duck. The awards recognized the presence of these defined populations, which warrant further attention of different agencies as some of them are strong candidates for registration and further efforts at conservation at the official level. The award functions have highlighted the presence of such populations in different parts of the country, and it is encouraging to note that some of the defined populations that had been recognized by the awards were subsequently accepted and registered with NBAGR, Karnalat the national levele.g. Banni and Chilika buffalo, Pulikulam,MalnadGidda cattle and Kachaikatti black sheep.This is a unique effort deserving more attention and support.
Annexure - I
Karnal Declaration for Conservation and Augmentation of Indigenous Livestock Breeds
The participants of National Workshop on Livestock Keeper’s Rights & Breed Saviour Award Ceremony at NBAGR, Karnal during 8-11 July 2014 have passed thefollowing resolution to adopt Karnal declaration on 9 July 2014.
1. Breeders Associations should be established for each of the livestock and poultry breeds in the respective breeding tracts. These associations should be registered with National-level authority/Foundation or through a federation of animal breeders association and should meet at least once in a year to exchange the experience and views ondifferent aspects of management of animal genetic resources.
2. National authority on animal genetic resources may be established to register, conserve and augment indigenous animal breeds. Such authority should be established under the umbrella of an Act of Indian constitution. It shall promote capacity building of livestock keepers conserving native breeds through incentives and enable them access to grazing land, drinking water, shelter, health and bull services, credit and marketing their products and for industrial utility.
3. Conservation of livestock and poultry breeds can be successful in true sense only under insitu mode along with conservation of respective ecosystems. Therefore, conservation of pasture land and associated water and ecosystems are essential so as to conserve livestock and poultry diversity.
4. Computer applications should be developed on tablets or mobiles for pedigree and performance data recording of the livestockand poultry breeds on different aspects of management, habitat and climate adaptive potential. For this purpose, training of livestock keepers and their children may be undertaken on a large scale.
5. Every member of parliament and legislative assembly should be persuaded to allocate 5% of their funds towardsconservation of local breeds
6. Veterinary science UG/PG students should study and document animal breeder communities and their way of managing animal genetic resources during internship programme for at least one month with their stay in the villages.
7. Women’s knowledge about livestock breeds behaviour, psychology, peculiar habits, management needs, etc. should be recorded and documented. Special training should be impartedto women for empowering them with respect to management of animal genetic resources.
8. National awards should be presentedto the livestock keepers, communities for their contribution in conservation of livestock diversity as well as ecosystem, especially pasture land.
9. Identification of markers and other indicators to be doneto enable children of breeders to maintain purity of breeds. Introduce special scholarship scheme for encouraging youth to conserve breeds and as fixated knowledge systems.
10. Document outstanding practices/innovations of breed conservators and link with National Register of grassroots innovations and traditional knowledge of National Innovation Foundation for dissemination/recognition/rewards.
Annexure - II
Need for Independent Institution for Insitu Conservation of Local Breeds
“National Authorityfor Community Conservation of local Livestock Breeds and Livestock keepers Rights” (similar to Protection of Plant Varieties &Farmers Rights Act Authority),an independent institution under Department of Animal Husbandry, Ministry of Agriculture can be established.The national conservationfund for insitu conservation of native animal breedsshall be created in the institution to undertake the following activities: recognition of livestock keepers for their contribution toconserving native breeds and species through “breed saviour awards” and certificates organized at a national-level event annually; establishing National Register of communities or individuals keeping local livestock breeds and best practices/innovations along with their profiles in an accessible database system; establishing community bio-culturalprotocols for livestock-keepingcommunities to highlight the value attached to their knowledge and lifestyle from the perspective of biodiversity conservation;facilitate registration of unrecognized breeds with National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources(NBAGR), Karnal/ICAR; capacity building of livestock keepers through training, awareness creation and micro creditfor up-keep ofnative breeds of animals and enterprise on local livestock products; coordinating among various departments and organizations for implementation of livestock keepers’ rights ;and any activity including protection of common property resources/pasture lands, infrastructure development for promoting and improving in situ conservation of breeds.
References:
1. Declaration of livestock keepers’ rights in LIFE Network and SEVA papers
2. Documentation of indigenous knowledge, innovations in Honey Bee Network papers.
3. SEVA Annual Reports (1992-2014)
* P. Vivekanandan, Executive Director
Sustainable Agriculture & Environment Voluntary Action (SEVA)
45, T.P.M. Nagar, Viratipathu, Madurai 625 016.Tamil Nadu.
E-mail: vivekseva@gmail.com
Website :www.sevango.in