21st Pastoral- Livestock Census: A Historic Exercise !

Pastoralism refers to a society that depends primarily upon herding animals for sustenance. This is one of the oldest professions in the world which dates back to 8500-6500 BC. In fact Many Prophets from Abrahamic origin were into pastoralism. Thus it is said to be a very sacred profession. In Hinduism also pastoralism has a great reverence and the Mahabharata contains a lot of information about it.

The Pastoralist communities distinguish themselves from farmers by not owning land, or own very small plots of land. There are different pastoral groups, some are completely nomadic who keep on moving round the year. Some groups undertake seasonal migration and return to their places after the migration season comes to an end.

We have Bakerwals, Gujjars, Chopans and Gaddis in Jammu & Kashmir who undertake seasonal migration from April to October and they return to their villages by October end. Some Bakerwal groups keep on moving until January as well in Jammu plains.

Pastoralists are seen in all parts of India. In the high-altitude deserts of Ladakh, the pastoralist communities like Changpas have yaks, sheep and goat. The Chopans of Kashmir also called Pohul rear sheep but majority of them are not owners of these animals as they belong to farmers. Similarly the Bakerwals own sheep and goat both. There are some Gujjar tribes who move on in mountains and plains with their buffaloes.

In the Thar desert of Rajasthan, the herders breed sheep, camels, goat and cattle. Some of them undertake long-distance migration across states. Similarly in the Kutch area of Gujarat we have several Pastoralist communities who own cows, camels, buffaloes, goat and sheep. A vast pastoralist community is found in Banni area which is a border area with Sindh region of Pakistan. This author got a chance to visit this place a few years back with the help of a local NGO Sahjeevan which has been doing great work in the Kutch region for more than 30 years now.

21^st Pastoral Livestock Census

The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has been conducting a Livestock Census across the country every five years since 1919. The last Livestock Census (20th Livestock Census) was conducted in 2019. The total livestock population was recorded as 535.78 million in the country showing an increase of 4.6% over Livestock Census 2012.

The census was conducted in 6.60 lakh villages and around 89,000 urban wards covering around 27 Crore households. Total bovine population (Cattle, Buffalo, Mithun and Yak) is 302.79 million in 2019 which shows an increase of 1.0% over the previous census. The total number of cattle in the country was recorded as 192.49 million in 2019 showing an increase of 0.8 % over previous Census. The female cattle (cow population) is 145.12 million, increased by 18.0% over the previous census (2012). In J&K the total livestock population as per 2019 census was recorded as 8.32 million animals and 7.37 million poultry birds.

This includes 16 lakh sheep population in J&K. The 21^st livestock census is unique and historic because for the first time exact details of pastoralist communities in the country will be recorded. The role of this community in strengthening the economy of the country is immense. The inclusion of pastoralists in 21st livestock census was possible due to the efforts made by Non Governmental Organisations like Sahjeevan, MARAG & Kachchh.

Awareness about this census

It is very important to create awareness regarding this historic livestock census. In fact the training of trainers programme was recently held by Govt of India in Srinagar also which was participated by a large number of officers from Animal and Sheep Husbandry departments who have been designated as District Nodal Officers-DNOs. The Director Animal Husbandry Kashmir Dr Altaf Laway, Director Sheep Husbandry Kashmir Dr Ashraf Baba also attended the progarmme. The Advisor (Statistics) in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Mr Jagat Hazirika also participated in the workshop.

A strategic approach is required to engage various stakeholders to ensure this census is conducted more effectively in J&K especially. The Govt and NGOs involved in this work must ensure that not a single animal is left out and also make sure every single pastoralist is counted by the enumerators.

The officials of Animal & Sheep Husbandry Departments must conduct meetings in villages, community centres, and agricultural hubs to inform livestock owners about the census. The workshops can be conducted to explain the importance, process, and benefits of the census. Engagement with local leaders, ex panchayat members and above all religious leaders is a must. The imams of Masjids can be asked to make people aware of this census during Friday prayers. Authorities can also collaborate with local farmer and livestock associations to spread the message among their members.

Suggestions

Local radio and TV channels can be used to broadcast informational messages about the importance of this census & how to participate in it. Social media can play a great role and platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and YouTube can be used to share educational videos, infographics, and posts about the pastoral-livestock census. Engagement with local schools and colleges can also help in spreading awareness.

The Animal and Sheep Husbandry Departments can also involve local NGOs and women Self Help Groups working with J&K Rural Livelihood Mission. The Govt can also avail support of Army and their Remount Veterinary Corps-RVC can be of great help in conducting this census smoothly. The officials of the Rural Development Department can also play a great role in this work.

Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat is an Acumen Fellow. He is writer , activist and independent researcher