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| Kedai: A traditional cattle penning system in Tamil Nadu |
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Reference |
| Anbarasu, P : "Kedai: A traditional cattle penning system in Tamil Nadu", SEWA, Madurai, HB 9(4): 1999 |
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Introduction to the Institution |
| The 'kedai' is an institution that exists for about six months in a year, from mid-January to the end of July when the next agricultural season starts. The institution exists in certain pockets of Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu. The description is based on a study of the system in three villages of the district. |
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Coverage of the Institution |
| The system is known to be prevalent in 21 villages of the district. |
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Rules for Management
of the Institution |
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(a) Boundary Rules |
| The villagers |
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(b) Governance
rules |
| The 'kedai' is a traditional occupation of the herders who practice the system at present. The herders belong to a few scheduled caste groups and groups classified as 'most backward classes'. Each village have about 100 families belonging to these castes, about four to five families are actively involved in setting up 'kedais'. These herder families are usually landless, though some of them may own some marginal land. For six months in a year when the 'kedai' is not in operation, they find employment as agricultural labour.
How does it work: |
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(c) Resource Allocation |
| At the beginning of the six-month period, a herder sets up a 'herd' by collecting cows, mainly 'umbalacheri', but also other local varieties and buffaloes, from a specified number of villages. He then manages them for six months by offering a penning service to farmers who pay for it on a per head of cattle basis. The herd stays on a particular farmer's plot for one night and is then moved to the next farmer or next plot on the list. The farmer benefits from the cow dung produced by the herd. The herder also keeps a breeding bull with him so that when cows or buffaloes are returned to their owners at the end of six months, most of the animals of breedable age are pregnant. Thus, the animal owners do not incur any costs, but have the responsibility for managing their stocks transferred to the herder for six months in a year and also gets back pregnant stock. The herder derives income from his penning services and after meeting his costs makes a reasonable profit.
Each herder manages only one herd, and each her can have only cattle or buffaloes. These two species are not mixed. The size of eacg herd is also fixed- a cow herd has between 400 to500 cows, a buffalo herd has 200 buffaloes. However, the 'umbalacheri' variety of cattle constitute the bulk of the cattle herds. |
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Conflict Resolution Mechanism |
| Not reported |
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Problems Faced by Institution |
| The 'kedai' system as it operates in the pocket of 21 villages is uner threat from a variety of sources. Herders are finding it difficult to arrange for water for their animals especially during the summer months and perceive that the returns are not worth the effort. In many cases the paths to distant ponds have been encroached upon making access to the ponds dfficult. The area suitable for grazing has been shrinking because of encroachment upon common grazing lands and expansion of the acreage under pulse cultivation. Herders are finding it difficult to buy good bulls, on which their credibility depend to a great extent. In some cases farmers are also reluctant to let their animals into the 'kedai' system, since they are not sure about the security of the animals. |
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Changes in the Institution over time |
| Not reported |
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Other Features of Institution |
| Not reported |
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Purpose |
| Conservation of local variety of cattle the 'umbalacheri' |
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Country |
| India |
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Region |
| Madurai |
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Date Of Publication |
| RS-23/11/99 |
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