World Milk Day 2020 - Raise a glass to the more natural milk - camel milk! This World Milk Day, for the first time, a global coalition of camel milk consumers, experts and dairy producers from 35 countries will raise a virtual glass for camel milk. This is the first-time camel milk is on the global World Milk Day agenda since the day began 20 years ago. Sales in camel milk are growing, as is interest, in this more natural, climate friendly and healthy dairy option - both as a stand-alone milk and as an active ingredient in camel milk products. “We have seen a significant rise in Interest in camel milk in India, for health reasons” says Hanwant Singh Rathore, co-founder of Camel Charisma, a company that markets camel milk produced by Raika nomads in Rajasthan. “Most of our customers are parents of autistic children, but camel milk is also becoming known as Rajasthan’s traditional health food.” The global camel milk products market size was valued at USD 10.2 billion in 2019.[1]  Camel milk is highly sought after for its anti-inflammatory, strong protective proteins, anti-microbial and nutritious value and works well for lactose intolerance.  “The global camel market is projected to grow at more than 10% for the next decade, so more camel milk in the future!” said Dr. Bernard Faye, veterinarian and chair of ISOCARD, the International Society of Camelid Research and Development.  “Camels are more adapted than cows to climate change and are built to survive for weeks without water in tough outback, yet produce a truly natural milk which is high in vitamins and immune properties, that tastes good and helps people with lactose intolerance and allergies,” said Jeff Flood, a trained nutritionist and the CEO of Summer Land Camels in Queensland, Australia. The unique health benefits of camel milk: Camel milk works across a range of physical and behavioral issues, making it a highly effective alternative.  “Parents of children with autism remain a key and growing market, as studies show the milk is safe and effective and can lead to behavioral and medical improvements,” stated Christina Adams, author of several publications on camel milk and editorial board member of the Journal of Camel Science. “The fatty acids in camel milk are also better for human hearts as theycontain more mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids than cow milk. Low in allergenic proteins, camel milk is also the best alternative to human milk and for children with severe food allergies or eczema,” said Dr Tahereh Mohammadabadi, Associate Professor, Khuzestan Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Iran. A growing market for camel milk The Middle East and Africa dominate with more than 60% of the global camel livestock revenue. Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Kenya consume the most per capita in the region. Saudi Arabia is the largest market in the world at around 33 litres per year, per capita. North America is expected to grow the fastest as consumers with diabetes switch to camel milk to better control…

Raika pastoralist in Rajasthan (India) setting out with his camel herd to harvest biodiversity and convert it into health enhancing camel milk. We need to improve livestock efficiency to enhance sustainability has been the mantra promoted by most experts. However, this approach has not considered that animals (and people) are 'holobionts' and come together with billions of micro-organisms. (Wikipedia: A holobiont is an assemblage of a host and the many other species living in or around it, which together form a discrete ecological unit.) Efficiency applied to biological organisms breeds pandemics, so we need to diversify, disperse and decentralize livestock keeping, if we want to prevent a repeat of the current crisis. For this we need to take guidance from the pastoralist playbook, suggests LPP's Ilse Köhler-Rollefson in this article: medium.com/@ilse.koehlerroll/prescription-for-a-healthy-and-resilient-post-corona-livestock-sector-ad495c182f96