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| Gauchara System: Community Care of Cows in Saurashtra, Gaujarat, India |
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Reference |
| Vijaya Sherry Chand; " Gauchara: Community Care of Cows.", HoneyBee Newsletter, Vol.6, No.2, Ahmedabad, 1995. |
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Introduction to the Institution |
| Many parts of Saurashtra have sizeable populations of the Ahir community. The Ahirs trace their descent from Lord Krishna and even today count care of cows and animal husbandry among their main duties. For this purpose they use a system called "Gauchaara". ("Gau": cattle; "Chaara": grazing) The system is believed to have been evolved by the Ahirs in the distant past. In the current form it is reported to have been practised for at least three hundred years. The Gauchaara described in this study is located in the village Tankaria.
ECOLOGICAL CONTEXT: The village is located in a dry region with low and uncertain rainfall. |
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Coverage of the Institution |
| Most villages in Kalyanpur Taluka use the Gauchaara system. The institution is concurrent. |
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Rules for Management
of the Institution |
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(a) Boundary Rules |
| SOCIAL BOUNDARIES: All cow owners in the village are members of the Gauchaara. Buffaloes and male calves are excluded from the system.
SPATIAL BOUNDARIES: The Gauchaara includes a fenced yard about a quarter of an acre, a godown for storing fodder, a bull pen and a small irrigated patch for green fodder for the bull. It only serves the villagers from Tankaria. |
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(b) Governance
rules |
| The affairs of the Gauchaara are managed by a committee which decides the various norms and rules to be followed. Membership of the committee is voluntary and is drawn from the community of elders. The size of the committee varies, usually from eight to fifteen members. There are no rules for changing members: When someone is "tired', he retires and a new member comes in. Accounts are kept by a member of the Lohana community (caste) in which bookkeeping has been a traditional skill. Every year they are presented to the village by the committee. There is a strong belief, that the institution is carrying forward Lord Krishna's efforts to protect animals, and therefore there is an emphasis on total honesty in matters of accounts. A caretaker (Gauchaara) has been appointed by the members to take care of the animals. Every morning, the families hand over their cows and female calves to him at the yard. He feeds the animals from the stocks maintained in the godown, and then takes them for grazing and watering. By lunchtime, the owners will collect them from the yard. The caretaker is payed 8 rp. per month pr. cow and its female calf by the cow-owners. |
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(c) Resource Allocation |
| Around Diwali (Gujarati New Year), an annual contribution (neeran) will be made of sorghum-stovers and groundnut byproduce. The current norm is 100 bundles of sorghum-stovers for every pair of bullocks owned. Groundnut is contributed voluntarily. People who do not own bullocks are exempt from this condition. Contributions are stored in a covered godown. Apart from the annual contributions of neeran, cash contributions ranging from 2000 to 10000 Rs. are given to the Gauchaara at various occasions, usually marriages or death. To a certain degree it is expected that everyone contribute some amount, but the amount is not fixed. These money are used for bying fodder in times of scarcity, developing the infrastructure of tha Gauchaar and maintenance of the bull. Once every month, the dung collected in the yard is auctioned.
One Kankrej bull is maintained by the Gauchaara. It is fed from the green fodder grown by the Gauchaara and water costs are borne by the Gauchaara fund. Costs of seeds, other inputs and harvesting are borne by the caretaker. In return, he is allowed to retain half of the green fodder for his own cows. The bull is also fed ghee and concentrates, which are bought out of the fund, or are contributed by the people of the village. Every 3 years the bull will be changed. |
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Conflict Resolution Mechanism |
| Not reported |
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Problems Faced by Institution |
| Degradation of grasslands, deterioration of soil fertility and migration of the youth in search of jobs elsewhere might have a negative effect on the institution and animal husbandry in the region as such. |
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Changes in the Institution over time |
| Not reported |
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Other Features of Institution |
| The Gauchaara is reported to have played an important role in ensuring maintenance of cows in a harsh environment. |
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Purpose |
| Livestock Management. |
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Country |
| India. |
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Region |
| Kalyanpur Taluka (subdistrict), Jamnagar District, Saurashtra Region, Gujarat. |
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Date Of Publication |
| TroB 300496 |
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