Copy of bcp 18112011 English - Natural Justice

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The biocultural community protocol of maldharis of banni4. MALDHARI WAY OF LIFE7Our way of life isn't subsistence oriented andour animals and animal products are producedfor the agrarian market. We have bred theBanni buffalo that is uniquely adapted to Bannigrassland ecosystem and produces high yieldsof milk with very low external inputs. TheBanni buffalo is disease resistant, can handlewater stress conditions and has a strongconstitution. We also breed the Kankrej cattlethat we sell or loan as sturdy and resilientdraught animals to farmers all over Kutch andSaurashtra. Every year some of us walkhundreds of kilometres delivering draughtanimals to farmers in different parts of Gujarat who pay us in instalments over a period of threeyears. We also breed the Kutchi goat, the Kutchi camel and Pathanwadi, Dumba sheep and SindhiHorse.“Banni grassland is our home. Even when there have beendroughts for many years, leaving us no choice but tosurvive by eating bark from trees and seeds of grasses, wehave never left this area, though we migratedtemporarily to survive our animals. Though our peoplehave suffered much misfortune here, we have nevermoved.”
The biocultural community protocol of maldharis of banni8We sell our animals to the livestock innkeepers and farmers and use services of traditional expertscalled bhagiyas who are trusted by both the buyer and the seller. The method of bargaininginvolves the bhagiya being used as an intermediary where the seller covers his and the bhagiya'shand with a kerchief and then indicates using his covered fingers the selling price of the animal.The same process is repeated between the bhagiya and the potential buyer, where the buyerindicates the price he is willing to pay. The bhagiya indicates this to the seller under the kerchief,thus beginning the process of negotiation. The entire process is carried out in a manner that onlythe seller, the buyer and the bhagiya are aware of the price that is being negotiated. This is ourtraditional system of sale of livestock that ensures that the price of livestock is not entirelydetermined by the market but also in accordance with the value the seller and the buyer put on aparticular animal.We have a deep understanding of Banniecosystem and an extensive knowledge of thedifferent grasses that grow here. We categorizegrazing patches based on soil types, size,distance from water bodies and villages,periodicity and quality of drinking water foranimals, grass, shrubs, tree cover and diversityand wind. Decisions on grazing areas androutes are based on the condition of the grazingarea, grass cover and availability of water andcare is taken to prevent overgrazing and toallow grasses to reach maturity.For instance, after a good monsoon, animals ofBhitara villages go to Gaar, animals of Bhagadiago to Gugardui, similarly animals of Sarada goto Thala for grazing. Because of the high spatialvariability in rainfall, villages that receive raindo not restrict entry of pastoralists from othervillages into their grazing areas since sharing ofresources is our value.
Page 1: Prepared By:Banni Pashu Uchherak Ma
Page 6 and 7: The biocultural community protocol
Page 20 and 21: 9.4 Threats from the damming of riv
Page 38: Banni Pashu Uchherak Maldhari Sanga

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