About Laya
I. C: A Glimpse into the Pastoral World of Kutch: A Case Study on
3. The many uses of the camel: The Indian context
Kharai camels are taken to bets, or islands in the delta, where they have access to freshwater as well as grazing resources. The camels graze, largely unsupervised, in this season. In winter, they migrate inland to Charri Dhandh, a saucer-shaped lake in Kutch. Charri Dhandh is the largest freshwater body in Kutch and is an assured source of water during this critical season. Kutchi camel herders move across the district all year round and migrate to other areas of Kutch during droughts.
Kutch is a rain-fed region and the monsoon is the season of sowing crops.
Camel herds move to wastelands or forests during this season as they cannot be penned on agricultural fields. Camel herders often follow a predetermined migration route and they build relationships with farmers located along their specific route of migration. Farmers have traditionally welcomed herders because the herds regenerate their fields, but with the increasing adoption of irrigation and intensive farming systems in the district, such relationships are under duress.
The herding communities, especially the Fakirani Jats who herd the Kharai camels, have stuck to their traditional ways of living in spite of increasing economic difficulties. These Jats live in reed grass houses called pakkha, herd camels across islands and mangroves, and care for their camels as members of their own family. This community is adept at nomadic living and is spiritually driven to leave ephemeral footprints on earth. Such ways of living, which are extremely ecologically sound and are in tune with the natural world, are unfortunately considered primitive and backward by mainstream society. Such communities can teach us a great deal about living holistically and simply on this planet, without overexploiting our scarce natural resources and harming the environment.
3. The many uses of the camel: The Indian
3.1 The camel as draught animal
Camels have always been a very important source of draught power in arid regions of the world, especially in climates where other domesticated large bovines find it hard to thrive. The sale of young and adult camels as draught animals is the primary source of income for herders. Some young males find their way to fairs in Rajasthan through local middlemen while others are sold locally. Young male camels start undergoing training (as farm animals or otherwise) at around the age of one year and develop into an excellent source of animal draught power for ploughing, drawing water, grinding grain, operating oil-extraction units (kachchi ghanis), and serving as a means of local transport. Automated farm equipment and vehicles have taken over the rural landscape in the past two decades and subsequently the value of draught animals has crashed. The number of camels in Gujarat fell by 50 per cent between 1997 and 2007. It fell by a further 20 per cent in a five-year period between 2007 and 2012.
Recently, the tourism industry has also started using camels. Camel tourism offers much scope for development, especially because camels can reach remote places where cars and other means of mechanized transport cannot penetrate easily.
Camels in the past were also used in warfare. Bactrian camels were deployed by armies between 500 and 100 BC. The rider’s weight was evenly distributed over the camel’s back through the use of especially made saddles that were shaped to accommodate the animal’s hump. Many kings in the west of India were known to employ camel cavalries. After independence, the Border Security Force continued purchasing camels to patrol the remote borders of the country. However, as roads were built along the border areas, this eliminated the need and demand for camels.
In some parts of India, camels remain indispensable as a source of cheap and readily available draught power for farmers as well as for local transport in the remoter regions of the country. This is because the camel can navigate any landscape or dirt road while mechanized vehicles need some kind of road to move on and find it difficult to traverse rocky, sandy, or waterlogged terrain. While we rely heavily on fossil fuels for transport at present, if and when we run out of oil, camels and other such animals may be our only viable means of transport.
Camels also serve the needs of other herders and are a top choice of the keepers of sheep and goats (small ruminants).
3.2 Camel manure and penning
In rain-fed regions of Kutch district, herders earn an income from penning, the practice of letting animals stay on farms overnight so as to collect their urine and dung. Most farmers in Kutch practise low-input, low-output agriculture and they pay herders to pen their camels on their farms overnight. Camel dung and camel urine revitalize the topsoil and are sources of low-cost fertilizer for farmers. Herders earn up to 10 rupees per animal per night during the non- cropping season. Camels additionally feed on weeds in farms in the fallow season and hence keep these unwanted plants in check.
3.3 Camel hair
Camel herders in India spin camel hair into strong yarn. This yarn is then made into bags, ropes, and ties. These exquisitely handcrafted products find use within the community and are not commercially traded. Some recent initiatives have also looked at using camel hair for garments and textiles.
However, such efforts face difficulties in collecting camel wool because not many herders are willing to trade wool while others inhabit very remote areas and hence are hard to reach.
3.4 Camel milk
Camel milk feeds not only the young ones in a herd but also forms part of the herder’s diet. A small quantity is consumed by the breeder’s family or the community.
Camel milk is a complete meal for many herders, especially for the Fakirani Jats while they are living on the bets (mangrove islands). Herders can tell the kind of vegetation the camels have been feeding on just by tasting the milk.
They swear by the therapeutic value of camel’s milk. Camels are also very efficient in turning feed into milk. According to some estimates, camels are almost five times more efficient than cows in this regard.
Unfortunately, until very recently, camel milk was not classified as an edible substance and hence could not be traded.
Figure 4: A Kharai Camel herder with milk
Camels also serve the needs of other herders and are a top choice of the keepers of sheep and goats (small ruminants).
3.2 Camel manure and penning
In rain-fed regions of Kutch district, herders earn an income from penning, the practice of letting animals stay on farms overnight so as to collect their urine and dung. Most farmers in Kutch practise low-input, low-output agriculture and they pay herders to pen their camels on their farms overnight. Camel dung and camel urine revitalize the topsoil and are sources of low-cost fertilizer for farmers. Herders earn up to 10 rupees per animal per night during the non- cropping season. Camels additionally feed on weeds in farms in the fallow season and hence keep these unwanted plants in check.
3.3 Camel hair
Camel herders in India spin camel hair into strong yarn. This yarn is then made into bags, ropes, and ties. These exquisitely handcrafted products find use within the community and are not commercially traded. Some recent initiatives have also looked at using camel hair for garments and textiles.
However, such efforts face difficulties in collecting camel wool because not many herders are willing to trade wool while others inhabit very remote areas and hence are hard to reach.
3.4 Camel milk
Camel milk feeds not only the young ones in a herd but also forms part of the herder’s diet. A small quantity is consumed by the breeder’s family or the community.
Camel milk is a complete meal for many herders, especially for the Fakirani Jats while they are living on the bets (mangrove islands). Herders can tell the kind of vegetation the camels have been feeding on just by tasting the milk.
They swear by the therapeutic value of camel’s milk. Camels are also very efficient in turning feed into milk. According to some estimates, camels are almost five times more efficient than cows in this regard.
Unfortunately, until very recently, camel milk was not classified as an edible substance and hence could not be traded.
Figure 4: A Kharai Camel herder with milk
3.5 Camel meat
A camel carcass can provide a substantial amount of meat. The male dromedary carcass can weigh 300–400 kg (661–882 lb), while the carcass of a male Bactrian can weigh up to 650 kg (1,433 lb). The carcass of a female dromedary weighs less than that of a male,
ranging between 250 and 350 kg (550–770 lb).19 In India, however, camel slaughter has been a taboo for the herders of both Gujarat and Rajasthan. Of late, though, as the traditional uses of the camel have diminished, camels have found their way to slaughterhouses. While many decry and denounce camel slaughter, and it is a sensitive issue, the demand for camel meat to some extent has led to some public support for camel herders.
3.6 Camel hide
Camel hide makes excellent leather, but since the number of camels has declined, there is not enough supply (critical mass) of hides to develop a camel leather-based value chain. As of now, camel hides have no commercial value.