New Agriculturist
Focus on...Camels
The camel is a remarkable animal. Hardy in the harshest of arid environments, it has enabled man to survive in some of the most inhospitable places on earth. Carrying heavy loads, pulling carts, providing meat, milk, hides and hair - the camel's usefulness is legendary. From Mongolia to Morocco the camel is a source of livelihood to farmers and pastoralists in a hundred countries - but for how much longer? Camels - and the people who live and work with them - are usually to be found in remote places but does that mean that they have to be at the margins of development thinking and excluded from policy?
Or, could and should camels make a comeback?
Camels at a cross-roads: decline or development?
In Rajasthan, at the annual camel fair, the raika camel breeders are concerned about the future of the camel in India. Under a supreme court ruling, camels are no longer allowed to graze in wildlife reserves, and irrigated agriculture is taking away more grazing land. To survive, the camel breeders will have to accept some compromises.
Date published: January 2005
Making more of the market for camel milk
It may be an acquired taste but, if there was a league of camel milk consumption worldwide, one country would come near the top - Kazakhstan. The current challenge, however is how to help Kazakh producers improve the quality of the milk they sell and process.
Date published: January 2005
Kenyan camels thrive where cattle cannot
In the Nairobi suburb of Eastleigh business is brisk in camel meat and milk. Until recently sales were mainly to the Somali community settled in the Kenyan capital but, increasingly, there has been a broader base of customers.
Date published: January 2005
The camels of northern India: keeping the wheels of the rural economy turning
Across northern India it is estimated that there are more than 200,000 camels at work - whether on the land or in the busy streets of towns and cities - earning their keep. But camels do need to be protected from injury, and, in towns, from other traffic.
Date published: January 2005
Camel milk magic - myth or marvel?
Camels are kept in over a hundred countries, and from Mongolia to Morocco the alleged healing properties of camel milk and milk products are shared and passed from generation to generation. But are the healing properties of camel milk all myth or can they be proved?
Date published: January 2005
In many countries the camel and their keepers are relegated to the margins of usefulness. But there are regions of the world where these animals are more highly prized than ever, and have become the source of huge wealth and increasing prestige.
Date published: January 2005
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