Revitalization of Rivers in India Draft Policy - Isha Guru Jaggi Vasudev

Revitalization of Rivers In India
Draft Policy Recommendation
USE OF NATIVE LIVESTOCK FOR ADDITIONAL INCOME, AND FOR
PREPARATION OF BIO-INPUTS
The proposed model involves the use of native livestock for inputs
required for cultivation, which serves as an additional source of income
to farmer families. Farmyard manure is always required for a farmer to
follow any package of practice – be it chemical-free or otherwise. In this
model, the bio-inputs prepared, like Jeevamirtham, Ghanajeevamirtham,
herbal pest repellents, herbal growth promoters, etc., are to be prepared
by the farmer using the dung and urine from his livestock and from the
biomass from plants in the border area. A farmer need not go out of his
farm to prepare any of the inputs required for his farm, if he has just one
native cow.
The major reasons for holding native livestock are given below: (Dr.
Punniyamoorthy, and expert on livestock, deals with this aspect in detail
in Annexure 17)
••
Microbial inoculum in a native cow’s dung and cow urine is what is
multiplied in Jeevamirtham and Ghanajeevamirtham. These are the
inputs that revive soil health and improve the soil organic content.
••
The cost of inputs of a cross-bred cow, starting from the cost of the
cow, to the day-to-day expenditure, is always high. Consideration
of two key issues, sustainability and longevity, results in favoring
Indian native breeds (despite their relatively low milk yield).
Unfortunately, many rural farmers prefer crossbred livestock (with
the promise of short-term productivity) rather than the locally
adapted livestock. However, morbidity and mortality is experienced
in non-native breeds, because they are poorly adapted to the local
climate, and are vulnerable to local diseases. For example, Holstein
Friesian crossbred cows are threatened by Foot and Mouth disease
that causes wasting and death in up to a million livestock each year.
Cows of native breeds carry genetic resistance to the disease.
••
Farmers can use Ethno-Veterinary Medicine (EVM), an established
science and a practice for prevention and cure of diseases in
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