Revival of a tradition

Rajasthan communities restore pastureland to ease impacts of fodder crisis in livestock farming

- BHAGIRATH

AT A time when dairy farmers across the country are struggling to keep their businesses afloat in the face of steady inflation in fodder prices and severe shortage in fodder availability, animal husbandry continues to be a profitable proposition in the semi-arid region of Rajasthan's Udaipur and Bhilwara districts.

"Till 10 years ago, we too used to struggle for arranging feed for our animals," says 50-year-old Sarsi Bai, from Boojh village in Udaipur district. Though arranging fodder and different forage crops for their livestock has been a way of life for the residents of the semi-arid village, fodder availability had gradually reduced with population growth and fragmentation of landholding. In the 2010s, the situation became so dire that most households had to buy fodder from a private beed (pasture) some 7 km away; price of the fodder depended on the beed owner's will. In 2016, Boojh residents got in touch with the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), a non-profit that works with communities across the country on ecological restoration. This marked a turnaround for not only the households of Boojh, but also several other villages in the region.

"FES researchers told us that we can overcome the fodder crisis by reviving and managing the shamlat or village common land," recalls Deepak Shrimali, a resident. There are three pastures, spanning 45 hectares (ha), which Boojh residents shared with neighbouring villages. Soon, almost all the households in the village came together to set up a "pasture development and management committee", and named it after the local deity Bhujeshwar Mahadev. The committee decided to revive one of the three pastures. FES prepared a revival plan for the 15 ha patch and offered guidance to the committee from time to time.