Copy of bcp 18112011 English - Natural Justice

The biocultural community protocol of maldharis of banni7. OUR TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE13We have a rich traditional knowledge thatranges from how we care for our animals toethno-veterinary knowledge to methods ofwater harvesting and conservation andsustainable use of Banni grasslands.Through our traditional knowledge relatingto our breeds we have, over centuries, beenable to develop particular characteristicsthat enable the animals to survive and thrivein the difficult conditions of Banni, whilstmaintaining high yields. Our knowledgeextends to what we feed our animals, forexample: we give 4-5 kg of feed concentrateto the breeding bull per day and sometimesup to 8 kg of feed concentrate depending onthe number of services it provides; we raisethe bull in a way that allows them to startservicing at 2.53 years of age; we feed ghee,mustard oil and unrefined cane sugar(jaggery) to the calves to strengthen themand we feed the breeding bulls eggs andghee for energy. The milk that our animalsproduce is entirely organic with no chemicaladditives.Many a times we treat our animals using ourtraditional medicine. Whilst there areveterinary hospitals outside Banni they aredifficult to access and sometimes expensive.We therefore also rely on our traditionalforms of medicine for our animals. Forexample our knowledge includes techniquesfor safe delivery of calves, treatment of sickanimals using herbs and grasses of Banni andproviding our animals certain foods to healthem. We take pride in this knowledge andwant to preserve it for our futuregenerations.“The skills and knowledge we have of our livestock was given to us by God and if we sellthis knowledge then this goes against what which we have been given.”