Issue 2, February 2005
People
and
Livestock
Inside
·
Camel yatra in
Rajasthan 2
·
Publications and
websites on
camels 2
·
Nguni story 3
·
Sustainable
smallholder poultry
projects 4
·
Deccan breeds 4
·
Pastoralists meet
in Ethiopia 5
·
Publications 6
·
Coming up 7
·
Links 7
People and Livestock
is an occasional news-
letter for those interested
in promoting socially and
ecologically responsible
livestock development. It
is produced by the
League for Pastoral
Peoples with support
from Misereor.
Please send news and
contributions to the
editor, Evelyn Mathias,
evelyn@mamud.com,
Weizenfeld 4, 51467
Bergisch Gladbach,
Germany
Design & layout:
Paul Mundy,
paul@mamud.com
The opinions expressed
do not necessarily reflect
those of Misereor.
league for
pastoral peoples
www.pastoralpeoples.org
Socially and ecologically responsible development
Focus: Camels Bearer of problems, or bringer of
solutions?
Special anatomical and physiological features enable camels to stay without water
for about 10 days in the dry season, and up to two months in the rainy season. This
is why they survive water shortages much better than cattle, enabling people to use
very dry areas where cattle cannot cope.
Worldwide there are about 20 million camels. However, governments rarely
recognize the value of this useful animal. Rather, they continue to promote irrigated
crop cultivation into areas unsuited for this type of agriculture at the expense of
grazing lands.
Fewer humps
India once had the world's third largest camel population, after Somalia and Sudan.
Now it has been surpassed by Pakistan and Mauritania. Between 1992 and 1997,
camel numbers in Rajasthan, where about 80% of India's camels live, declined by
11%. There are indications that the trend has greatly accelerated since. To
counteract this trend, non-government organizations are helping pastoralists to
raise government attention for their problems (see the Camel yatra article below).
In Kenya, the trend may be reversing. Here, the Kenyan Camel Association an
association of commercial camel ranchers, representatives of camel communities
and those working to help them has organized annual forums to exchange
information and findings about camels. Such forums have also drawn government
officials into the discussion. Although Kenyan development policy and laws continue
to neglect camels, awareness of and interest in camels and their products are
growing among urban consumers and livestock keepers.
An unrecognized asset
According to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
(UNCCD) one-fifth of the world's population is threatened by the impacts of global
desertification. A quick search for the word "camel" in the national strategies
developed under UNCCD shows that governments tend to view camels as a
problem rather than a solution.
Much lobby work remains to be done to convince policy makers of the potential of
camels for the sustainable use of dryland areas. Perhaps the World Day to
Combat Desertification on 17 June provides an opportunity to do this.
More information
camelides.cirad.fr, pastoralpeoples.org, www.new-agri.co.uk/05-1/focuson.html,
www.unccd.int
Note to readers
Thanks for the positive response to issue 1 of this newsletter. Several
contributors have sent summaries of articles and field research for inclusion in
this issue.
Short contributions for future issues are very welcome (maximum of 500 words).
The editors reserve the right to edit contributions and adapt them to the style of
the newsletter. We are also happy to include announcements you may have,
provided they are relevant to the focus of this newsletter. Please send any
information to the editor, Evelyn Mathias, evelyn@mamud.com.
The LIFE Initiative
www.lifeinitiative.net
People
and
Livestock
Issue 2, February 2005
Page 2 of 7
Allcamels.com
Comprehensive site with
information on care,
equipment, books.
Includes resource
database with more than
360 links to other sites.
www.allcamels.com
Analysis of pastoral
camel husbandry in
northern Kenya
Kaufmann, Brigitte. 1998.
Hohenheim Tropical
Agricultural Series 5,
Margraf Verlag,
Weikersheim
Analysis of camel
husbandry systems, using
a combination of
participatory techniques
and bio-economic
modelling.
www.uni-hohenheim.de/
~www480/docs/publish/
bkdiss.htm
Australian Camel News
Useful information source
on camels.
www.austcamel.com.au/
informn.htm
Camels
Wilson, R.T. 1998, The
Tropical Agriculturalist
Series, CTA and
Macmillan
Book covers breeds,
production systems,
adaptation, reproduction,
management, nutrition,
health and productivity of
dromedaries.
www.agricta.org
Camélidés
http://camelides.cirad.fr
Informative site devoted to
dromedaries and Bactrian
camels. Site in French,
but much material in
English. Links to other
sites on camels, plus
information booklets in
French, Tifinagh and
Arabic.
Camels and camelids
Publishes the Journal of
Camel Practice and
Research and scientific
books on camels.
www.camelsandcamelids.
com
A field manual of camel
diseases: Traditional
and modern veterinary
care for the dromedary
Köhler-Rollefson, I., P.
Mundy and E. Mathias.
2001. ITDG Publishing
and League for Pastoral
Peoples
www.mamud.com/
camels.htm
Information resources
on Old World camels:
Arabian and Bactrian
19412004
Extensive listing of
literature from the
AGRICOLA database and
the National Agricultural
Library. Overview of
different types of camels
and links to web
resources.
www.nal.usda.gov/awic/
pubs/Camels/camels.htm
New Agriculturist
The January 2005 issue of
this online magazine
focused on camels.
www.new-agri.co.uk/05-
1/focuson.html
The one-humped camel
in eastern Africa: A
pictorial guide to
diseases, health care
and management
Schwartz, H.J. and M.
Dioli (eds). 1992. Josef
Margraf, Weikersheim
Beautifully illustrated
guide for veterinarians
and practitioners.
Publications and websites on camels
A month's trek through
the deserts of western
India drew attention to
the problems faced by
pastoralists in
Rajasthan
Camel yatra in Rajasthan
Camels are a symbol of Rajasthan, in western India, and they are a traditional
lifeline for the people of the Thar Desert. But in the last ten years, their numbers
have fallen by half. This has important ecological, social, and economic dimensions,
and may have serious consequences for the many poor people who rely directly or
indirectly on camels. It may also affect Rajasthan's ability to withstand drought.
Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan, an Indian NGO, is holding a series of activities to
raise awareness about this issue. One of these was a camel yatra a pilgrimage
through Rajasthan's prime camel-breeding areas.
The yatra set off from Sadri, in southern Rajasthan, on 15 January 2005, and
wended its way through Jaisalmer in the west, arriving in Bikaner, in the north, on
12 February. It succeeded in attracting national TV and newspaper coverage to this
neglected topic.
The yatra followed a national workshop of camel herders and an international
scientific conference (proceedings available on the website below). Both herders
and scientists called for the restoration of grazing rights, changes in milk marketing
policies, more effective veterinary services, and improved research and extension
efforts to make the camel industry more profitable and attractive.
More information
www.pastoralpeoples.org
People
and
Livestock
Issue 2, February 2005
Page 3 of 7
Nguni story
An indigenous cattle breed in South Africa coming home
Wolfgang Bayer, AGRECOL
The Nguni are a cattle breed in South Africa that is thought to descend from animals
domesticated in northeast Africa or the central Sahara, when it was a bit wetter
there. The breed probably arrived in South Africa about 1500 years ago. They are
relatively early maturing, long lived, with good fertility, well adapted to low-quality
feed, have a high degree of tick and disease resistance, and were widespread in
the provinces of Eastern Cape, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal.
Not a real breed?
European settlers in South Africa regarded the Nguni as inferior. This was partly
because Nguni are comparatively small, differ greatly in coat colour and horn
shape. According to European traditions they do not form a single breed, and
considerable cultural importance attaches to them. Nguni cattle are used for dairy,
are traditionally important for culture, particularly for marriage contracts and for
sacrifices, e.g., during funerals.
Especially in the 20th century, extension services discouraged the keeping of Nguni
cattle by small-scale farmers, and made dipping against ticks compulsory (and
free). Marketing, particularly the carcass classification system, favours large
animals.
After more than a century of being told that their animals were "scrub", small-scale
farmers started to believe it, and increasingly crossed their cattle with breeds of
European origin.
Low-input
However there are still a "large number of various purity" (Bester et al. 2003) in
communal areas, particularly because the crossbreds although they can grow
better under optimal conditions did not perform well under local farming
conditions.
Researchers and local people recognized the potentials of Nguni cattle as a "low-
input breed", and a breed society was formed in 1986. Presently more than 19,000
cattle are registered as "stud" animals. A book on the cultural importance of various
Nguni types (Poland et al. 2003) became a bestseller. These efforts have found
international recognition, but until recently very little of this information has
reached local farmers.
Tick resistance
During studies for development projects in Kwalu-Natal supported by Misereor,
Nguni cattle were discussed with farmers, and tick resistance and other potential
advantages were first met with disbelief.
The projects initiated visits to stud farms and research stations, and farmers started
to realize the advantages of "adapted animals". In 2004 one of the projects started
to experiment with artificial insemination with Nguni semen.
Although breeding will show its benefits only in the long run, there is hope that the
Nguni cattle will come home again.
More information
Bester J., Matjuda L.E., Rust J.M. and Fourie H.J. 2003. The Nguni: a case study.
Pp.4568 in: FAO. 2003. Community-based management of animal genetic
After a century of being
told that their animals
were "scrub", farmers
started to believe it
The potential of Nguni
cattle as a "low input"
breed is now
recognized
People
and
Livestock
Issue 2, February 2005
Page 4 of 7
resources Proceedings of a Workshop held in Mbabane, Swaziland, 711 May
2001.
Poland M., Hammond-Tooke D., and Voigt L. 2003. The abundant herds: A
celebration of the Nguni cattle of the Zulu people. Fernwood Press Vlaeberg, South
Africa.
Sustainable smallholder poultry projects
Incorporating socio-economic contexts; leaving room for local practice
Karin Thomsen, Network for Smallholder Poultry Development, Denmark
Intensified poultry production can be a welcome source of extra income for
smallholders. An anthropological study of the Programme d'Appui au
Développement d'Aviculture Villageoise (PADAV) in Benin offers some
suggestions on how to make poultry development projects sustainable.
Projects must consider the various economic strategies that smallholders use, the
local marketing facilities, and fluctuations in related farming activities. While both
men and women may keep poultry, they may raise and market them in different
ways. For example, a woman with many children may be short of time, so sells to a
trader in the village. Her husband may bring his birds to the market himself, so can
get a better price. Such socio-economic and gender-related factors influence the
amount of work and income that each participant in a poultry development project
can invest in their poultry enterprise.
Development projects are more likely to succeed if they leave room for locally suited
poultry keeping practices. Smallholders adjust what they have learned from
fieldworkers to their own conditions. They mix old and new for example, using
both local treatments and modern veterinary medicines. They end up using a range
of practices that are neither purely indigenous, nor strictly in accordance with the
project-introduced model. The relative costs, availability and effectiveness help
determine whether farmers adopt a new technology.
Small-scale poultry development interventions should be pragmatic and flexible
open to adjustments in accordance with local socio-cultural, ecological and climatic
conditions. Smallholders cannot be treated as homogeneous. People have different
reasons for participating in development projects: reasons that depend on their
other sources of income and on prevailing local livestock management practices.
More information
www.poultry.kvl.dk, karin_thomsen@hotmail.com
Deccan breeds
Nitya Ghotge, ANTHRA
The Deccan Plateau of south-central India is one of the driest parts of the country.
There, shepherding groups such as the Kuruma, Kuruba, Golla and Dhangar have
traditionally reared sheep and goats. They rear Deccani, Sangamneri, Madgyal and
Khillari sheep breeds, and Osmanabadi goats.
These pastoral systems used to provide coarse wool, meat, milk and dung: items
that used to be in great demand by sedentary farmers. Today though, these
systems are under threat, for a host of different reasons. Their disappearance may
result in the irretrievable loss of valuable livestock breeds, products, indigenous
knowledge of animal health, and social and cultural diversity.
Farmers end up using a
mix of technologies that
are neither purely
indigenous, nor
precisely what the
project recommended
People
and
Livestock
Issue 2, February 2005
Page 5 of 7
Supporting Pastoral Livelihoods
The project Supporting Pastoral Livelihoods, is funded by Misereor and
implemented by ANTHRA, works with pastoral communities in Andhra Pradesh,
Maharashtra and Karnataka to strengthen the skills and capacities of pastoral
groups. It aims to:
·
Build a sustainable, effective health care delivery system for their livestock
·
Improve the availability of natural resources, grazing, fodder and water
·
Solve problems pastoralists face while migrating, such as health and education
·
Find ways to keep local customs, language and traditions alive
·
Design educational programmes for children of pastoral communities
·
Design ways to cater to basic human health needs.
Building on indigenous knowledge
The project intends to provide technical advice and support so pastoral communities
can use validated indigenous knowledge and other alternate health-care systems to
prevent and treat diseases. This should reduce the current indiscriminate use of
expensive allopathic medicines, which is leading to drug resistance and unethical
practices. The use of herbal medicines should reduce the cost of healthcare and
enhance local biodiversity. The project also seeks to build the pastoralists'
capacities to mobilize resources from the government and to lobby for more
effective services.
Documenting breeds
ANTHRA will document important livestock breeds raised by the pastoral
communities. Many of these breeds are unique and constitute a special gene pool.
Preserving these genes and breeds is of prime importance. However before
initiating a programme for preserving the germplasm, the production parameters
and traits of these breeds need to be adequately documented.
Certain pastoral production systems are under threat because of shrinking grazing
lands and fluctuating markets. But new opportunities are also emerging. ANTHRA
will be studying existing production systems and looking at opportunities for
channeling these products effectively.
More information
anthra@vsnl.com, www.anthra.org
Pastoralists from 25 countries meet in Ethiopia
About 120 pastoralists and some 100 government and non-government staff met in
Turmi, South Omo, for the Global Pastoralists Gathering on 29 Jan2 Feb 2005.
The event was hosted by the Hamar pastoralists and organized by several UN
organizations.
Participants warned that access to education, health, clean water, economic
progress and legal protection is declining in pastoralist areas. This will affect the
environment and create problems not only for the pastoralists themselves but also
for their neighbours and the country in which they live.
However, there are many examples of small scale improvements mostly the result
of pastoralists' own efforts to organize themselves. These efforts had then led to
recognition and co-operation from government and international bodies. In East
Africa, for example, there is a recognition of pastoralists' need to cross borders
freely. Spain and India provide economic support for pastoral production. South
Using herbal medicines
should reduce
healthcare costs and
contribute to biodiversity
In every country, the
biggest concern was
the loss of rights to
grazing land
People
and
Livestock
Issue 2, February 2005
Page 6 of 7
Community Based
Animal Health Workers:
Threat or Opportunity?
The IDL Group, 2003. £8
(UK) or £10 (world).
Contact liz.stockley@
theidlgroup.com
Discusses issues around
primary animal healthcare
based on original and
literature research.
www.theidlgroup.com/
downloads/community
basedanimalhealth.pdf
Donkeys, people and
development
Edited by Paul Starkey
and Denis Fielding, 2004.
ATNESA Publications.
45 papers by 70 authors
from 25 countries
discussing issues around
donkeys, their
management and use.
www.atnesa.org/donkeys
peopledevelopment.htm
Drought Cycle
Management: A toolkit
for the Greater Horn of
Africa
Published 2004 by the
International Institute of
Rural Reconstruction,
Cordaid and Acacia
Consultants. Contact
admin@iirr-africa.org
Shows how the concept
drought cycle
management can be used
to prepare for and mitigate
the effects of drought in
the drylands of Eastern
Africa.
www.mamud.com/
droughtcycle.htm
Enhancing animal health
security and food safety
in organic livestock
production systems
Proceedings of the 3
rd
SAFO Workshop, 1618
Sept 2004, Falenty,
Poland. Sustaining Animal
Health and Food Safety in
Organic Farming (SAFO).
www.safonetwork.org/pub
lications/ws3/index.html
Food security in
pastoralist areas of
Ethiopia
Published 2004 by the
International Institute of
Rural Reconstruction,
Nairobi. Contact
admin@iirr-africa.org
Experiences from over 30
development
organizations in
strengthening food
security in eastern and
southern Ethiopia.
Covers interventions in
water, livestock,
rangeland and resource
management, crops,
alternative foods, income
diversification, institutions,
services, conflict
management, policies and
advocacy.
www.mamud.com/
foodsec.htm
Legal factors driving
agrobiodiversity loss
by Franziska Wolff. Elni
(Environmental Law
Network International)
Review 1, 2004
Investigates the effects of
intellectual property rights
and other agreements on
plant and livestock
biodiversity.
www.agrobiodiversitaet.
net/site/page/downloads/
dateien/ABD.Elni.pdf
The Livestock and
Poverty Assessment
Methodology: A toolkit
for practitioners
Claire Heffernan, Federica
Misturelli, Louise Nielsen,
and Dafydd Pilling, 2003.
Livestock Development
Group, School of
Agriculture, Policy and
Development, University
of Reading, Reading, UK
www.livestockdevelop
ment.org/adobedocs/
LPA%20Manual.PDF
The Organic Livestock
Trade from Developing
Countries: Poverty,
Policy and Market
Issues
Report of a DFID-funded
project by P.J.C. Harris,
A.W. Browne, H.R. Barrett
and F. Gandiya, School of
Science and the
Environment, Coventry
University, UK, 2003.
www.passlivelihoods.org.
uk/site_files%5Cfiles%5
Creports%5Cproject_id_
74%5CThe%20Organic
%20Livestock%20Trade
%20from%20Developing
%20Countries%20Report
_MA0044.pdf
Africa has strong pastoralist organizations. In every country, the biggest concern
was the loss of rights to grazing land. Women are often little respected and have
limited access to education.
The event was a strategic first step in the launching of a major World Initiative for
Sustainable Pastoralism (WISP) spearheaded by UNDP and a consortium that
includes IFAD, FAO, DFID, the World Bank, USAID, IUCN, IIED, OXFAM, and
many other international NGOs.
The global gathering concluded that pastoralists can improve their livelihoods by
becoming better organized from local to global levels, by enhancing their links with
local and national governments, and if they are granted recognition and support by
the international community.
More information
Adapted from: www.ocha-eth.org/Home/HotTopics8/Downloadables/Global%20
PastoralistGathering.pdf
See also www.ocha-eth.org/Home/HotTopics8/Hottopics8.htm
Pastoralists can gain by
organizing among
themselves, by
enhancing their links
with governments, and
by winning recognition
from the international
community
Publications
People
and
Livestock
Issue 2, February 2005
Page 7 of 7
Coming up
IV
th
International
Congress on
Ethnobotany:
Ethnobotany at the
junction of the
continents and
disciplines
Yeditepe University,
Istanbul, Turkey, 2126
August 2005
This congress will feature
a panel on "Plant use of
farmers and pastoralists".
Deadline for submission of
abstracts is 31 March.
Contact Z. Füsun Ertug,
fertug@iceb2005.com
www.iceb2005.com
Fourth All Africa
Conference on Animal
Agriculture
Arusha International
Conference Centre,
Arusha, Tanzania, 2326
September 2005
Theme: The role of
biotechnology in animal
agriculture to address
poverty in Africa:
Opportunities and
challenges
Contact Rosalynn Murithi,
r.murithi@cgiar.org
www.waap.it/all_africa_
conference.htm
Systems development:
Quality and safety of
organic livestock
products
Workshop organized by
SAFO in Frick, Switzer-
land, 1719 March 2005
Contact Michael
Walkenhorst, michael.
walkenhorst@fibl.org
www.safonetwork.org/
workshops/ws4/index.html
Links
ELDIS Pastoralism
Resource Guide
Valuable
set of resources
on pastoralism. Includes
an email forum, list of
publications,
organizations, projects
and websites.
www.eldis.org/pastoralism
Journal of Ethnobiology
and Ethnomedicine
This new e-journal on
ethnobiology will be an
open-access, peer-
reviewed, online journal
that aims to promote the
exchange of original
knowledge and research
in any area of ethno-
biology and ethno-
medicine.
There is a charge of about
600 for each manuscript
accepted for publication.
Potential authors should
contact the editor, A.
Pieroni, JEE@
etnobotanica.de.
www.ethnobiomed.com
Livestock, Environment
And Development
Initiative (LEAD)
The LEAD Virtual
Development Centre
provides information,
news, tools and links
relating to livestock
production, natural
resource use and
development. Site in
English, French, Spanish,
Russian and Chinese.
www.lead.virtualcentre.org
/selector.htm
Online database on
ethnoveterinary
medicine
Plant remedies for horses,
pets, pigs, poultry and
ruminants used by
herbalists, vets, farmers
and others in British
Columbia. Based on field
research and a multi-
disciplinary workshop, the
database can be searched
by animal species and
disease name.
http://bcics.uvic.ca/
bcethnovet/
Sustaining Animal
Health and Food Safety
in Organic Farming
(SAFO)
Aims at improving food
safety and animal health
in organic livestock
production systems
through communication of
research results.
www.safonetwork.org
ELDev
This new discussion group
focuses on endogenous
livestock development: the
development of livestock
production based on
livestock keepers'
initiatives, their own
worldview, values,
knowledge, institutions,
and locally available plus
suitable outside
resources. To subscribe
go to the link below, hit
the "join the group" button,
and then follow the
instructions. Problems?
Contact Katrien van't
Hooft, katrien.hooft
@etcnl.nl or Evelyn
Mathias, evelyn@
mamud.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/g
roup/ELDev/