Today?s ecological concerns- a case history of Ragisthan rain fed areas

Today’s  ecological concerns

First  the excessive use of fossil fuel and the resultant pollutants.

     Under these concerns the livestock too are maligned .This paper attempts to mitigate some of the doubts by citing Indian  facts and experiences.

India had ( 1992 censes )205 million cattle heads. This means hardly one for 5 persons. This 1:5 ratio is perhaps lesser than many advanced countries . The distribution of total livestock per sq km  is more, it is true of the human population density too. A serious thinking on this sector is needed to undo the damages. An easy proposition can be to reduce the numbers and increase the per animal productivity.

The majority of our cattle are non descript .The percentage of crossbreds is increasing and the total number of livestock is decreasing at a faster rate. The production of milk is on the increase mostly due to production from the cross breds. 

      According to 1992 estimates the adult cows are 64 % of the total cattle population and  49% are still none descript .Only 6 % cross breds  and 9 %  are  described  breeds. The male numbers are  decreasing due to mechanization.

Growth Rate

The  annual growth rate  over past few years has been under

5%. The indigenous cattle increased  at a minimal of 0.12% ,indicating a shift towards more productive cattle with less numbers and thus an eco-friendly trend.

The  0.62 % Increase in cross breeds is 5 times more than the low producing one.It indicates a new shift towards organized exotic dairy farming,relieving pastores and grazing lands of the pressure of overstocking and  a cleanenvironment.

The  decease of unproductive cattle and increase in crossbreds  is  in past few years has resulted in the enhancement of per capita milk availability from few gms to nearly 210 gms at national level.The details are shown in Table 1.Some of the states like Punjab,Haryana,Rajasthan,Gujrat,Jammu and Kashmir and HP have more per capita availability than the norms established by Indian council of medical research.

The increase in breed able (0.57)and milch cattle (0.62)is faster than the males and unproductive ones.

    By now the pool of 9 million cross bred cows must have doubled and the concomitant decease in the non descript cattle is and thus a decrease in total cattle heads is evident.Therefore India is marching towards a eco friendly cattle production inspite of its constitutional commitments and regulatory mechnism.

A few cruelty to animals and welfare issues have been analysed too and are showm as captions along with the deprived animals in these page.To highlight some of them –the male calf factor ,aged and unproductive animals left on roads and roaming free in the nomans land and streets have been documented in the figues and related captions.Detailed analysis are show in the presentation.

 The production and per capita availability of milk and milk products is on rise with decreasing trends in the total livestock population. The 160 million non descript animals decreasing at faster rate shall make the number of cross breeds to increase our milk availability further

The  bull calf  factor in our economy is perhaps a negative factor needing attension.The fortification of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides have already decreased our production potential and soil water resource are at receiving end. The climatic pollution is here with loss of soil depth, low vegetation and soil erosions and low water levels.

Livestock as alternate and sustainable energy source

We have 21% Bullock power and 9% Buffalo bulls  ploughing  100 million hectares of land mostly rain fed .They move 1.4 millions carts, herby saving 120 billion rupees and  preventing toxic effulent emissions through non use of fossil fuel’.

Animal Draught power and envirnment

 Our 83 million draught animals

contribute 30,000 mw ENERGY IN THIS TIME OF ENERGY CRISIS.

 The work of 15 million tractors is being done by our bullocks.It saves us billions of foreign exchange .

The 7o million tons of cow dung used as fuel saves us 27 MT of kerosene and 68 MT of wood. Imagine so much of wood shall denude our 22% FORESTS AT A MUCH FASTER ARTE THAN EXPECTED. Our hill canopy was saved by planting orchards and other fruit and non fruit bearing plants. Likewise the environmental determents shall be replaced by recycling of the dung urine and the energy produced through bullock power.Surprisingly,even good % OF THE COWS is also used for ploughing.

? What should be our strategy

Set goals as per Our resource base ie Location specific strategy  .

We have 29 breeds of cattle .Few (5 ) breeds are milk ones  like the Gir (2-6 thousand  KGS /LAC),sahiwal 2-4 thousand kgs/lac,Red sindhi 2-4 thousand kgs and Tharparkar with 1.8-3.5 thousand  kegs /lact .The fat % ranges from 4-4.5%.The majority of them are heat and disease resistant. A cross bred cows averages slightly higher than 3000-6000 Litres per lactation but fat % varies around 3.5. If the milk is priced on per kg fat the margin of profits between these indigenous cows and the exotic cross breds shall not be much.The pressure on the environment and land is also less as these locals thrive on agricultural waste and need low expenditures.The intensive maize silage or green fodder in summer shall relieve pressure on water and land resources.If competitive cost of production and the sale value is the measure of comparison then differences may not be much. Even in the commercialized dairy farms of Punjab milk alone does not fetch profits to the farmer .The rising incidences of diseases may sink the profits and may be devastating like chemical farming in the past. Unfortunately the pseudo at the top either do not realize the gravity of biosafty or ignore it wittingly.

We have dual purpose breeds like Rathi,Doeni,Hariana,Kankrej,Ongole,Goaloo,Kridhna valley,Mewati,Sri,Bachour,Kharigarh,Unblachery.Ponwar,Vechoer and Pungannure.They gives 1800-3500 kgs /lac/

The Draught breeds are Kandhari,Nimari,Khillari,Amritmahal,Halikar,Nagore,Bargure,Nagore,Kenkatha,

To save the energy we may have to conserve and preserve the draught breeds. A mechanism of pooling the efforts through convergence by vet colleges, institutes, gowshallas and all others to utilise the vast resource is needed. We have fewer problems in small ruminants than in cattle. Here we have to make efforts to limit the numbers within the constituted act and writ of the nation and simultaneously utilize them for the draught purposes to save our energy resources. Who know the turn at the century we may revert back to draught animal power as the way of life. When fossil fuels get exhausted and are costlier.SMALL RUMINANT PRODUCTION SYSTEMS AND ENVIRONMENT

Sheep and goats in Rajasthan, district Johdpure, 0N 13-10-2009

ECO-FRIENDLY GRAZING

The picture shows sheep and goats grazing in a field which could not be used for crop cultivation due to lack of rains. The crops sown were hit by the severe drought .The minimal rainfall during June-September, 2009 could not survive the crops .All dried or did not germinate. One can see a bush type shrub called saniaa locally(Crotalania burtia) a leguminose family nitrogen fixing plant speices,, which feeds sheep and goats. Its sticks are used for thatching houses and also as firewood.

This is drought suited indigenous technology :ADOPTED AND LOCATION –SPECIFIC. Back on the fringes can be seen a plant called KHEJRI ,this thrives even in the deep desserts where rains are  scantly, but its deep root system and tight leaf stomata helps it to thrive and with stand desert heat. It provides leaves as fodder to the sheep and goats, twigs cut every year to serve as fuel and shelter wood, its fruits used as vegetable and human food rich in proteins(see phographs and solar drinrg techniques below).It provides the desired shadow in the scorching heat if the deserts. The peculiar specific quality of this desert Queen in plant kingdom is that under its shadow the crops thrive better. I pondered on the observation of the village wise and got convinced .Otherwise from east to west and north to south of the globe the shadowy trees restrict crops under them .The reason being photosynthetic  failures .Khejri has a vertical foliage cover and therefore does not restrict the full spectrum of sunlight under it.Thus helps to share sunshine with those underneath. I would name this a desert Queen as it looks like a majesty in the desert, feeds its deprived and allows its competitors to grow and thrive. I have not called d it King as kings of Jodhpur have often been warriors and war always brings destruction in a civilized nation. I would call it Jhoda baie queen, the grand majesty of the Akbar the great King whose wife was sober, faithfull and honourable JHODA BAI

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Iguana Ecology – Environment Iguanas Really Love

Iguanas are crucial to survive extinction, as it is part of the eco-system. Without the iguanas, the balance of ecosystem may be damaged. That is why we, as more intelligent creations must help to preserve them. In preserving these animals, people need to know the appropriate ecological atmosphere for the iguanas.

However, replicating ecological condition for the iguanas in captivity is a very challenging task. Iguanas are very dependent on their surroundings in terms of temperature as to their body heat and food supply as to the proper body chemistry and metabolism.

Iguanas inhabit the forests of Central and South America and the Caribbean Islands. They inhabit trees growing near bodies of water in the deep jungle. They prefer adjacent to water sources as a form of defense from predators. There, they can be seen basking on large horizontal tree limbs or feeding amount the foliage. Iguanas are intensely territorial so no more than a single large male will be found in a specific area encompassing about a quarter to a half-acre in size. In captivity, cage size is often not much longer than 1.5 times the iguana’s length. This exemplifies how adaptable these creatures really are.

The natural habitat for iguanas is warm and humid. It is very important their artificial homes must be near to the real life condition of their habitat in terms of heat and humidity. Failure to do so might make them sick or die.

The size of their cage must consider that iguanas grow to as big as 6 feet in length. These lizards must be given ample space to move about and allow them to grow freely. Regular iguana cages must be around 6 feet tall with its width twice as long. This size gives room also for branches of trees where the iguanas could stay and play around. As a rule, the width of the cage must be always twice the height. If the cage size is small for the full potential of the iguana, its growth will be impeded and even injure them due to stress, muscle strain and weakness. It will also promote build up of fat and eventually make them stagnant, weak and prone to sickness.

Room temperature that must be observed must be 80 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. The basking temperature they need from the sun ranges from 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit while the regular air temperature they are accustomed is no lower than 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Being cold blooded reptiles, they need that much heat. It is part of their normal body metabolism especially their digestive system. Without the proper surrounding temperature, iguanas will not be able to digest their food properly and trigger to cause illness which may compound to more health issues eventually. Iguanas like other animals do sleep. Therefore it is necessary that his surroundings be able to provide total darkness during the night without jeopardizing the required temperature.

Iguanas must not be allowed to roam free around the house in cold places and live on its own. They might be exposed to long period of cold temperature only to find out it is too late the reverse the situation. By the time the problem is noticed these pet may have already contracted bone diseases that are often incurable.

Iguanas eat leaves and flowers. If you feed them with diet that is too rich in protein and carbohydrates, they will soon become unhealthy and sickly

It is necessary to replicate iguanas’ natural habitat to ensure their survival in their protective artificial homes. Before deciding to keep an iguana, acquire first the knowledge about its biophysical anatomy, healthcare, eating traits and food requirements. Lastly and most important, learn the basics of its surroundings and provide an accurate replication of its natural environment.

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