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https://theconversation.com/turning-camels-into-cows-megafarms-are-being-set-up-to-produce-camel-milk-on-industrial-scales-223485>
"The camel may be the next cow.
An animal that once grazed and browsed over huge distances is increasingly
being enclosed in vast Middle Eastern dairy farms, where thousands of camels
are milked by machine. This is the model of sedentary farming that produced
modern cows, sheep and pigs. Camels have so far resisted it – yet in certain
ways, they are ideal livestock for the next climate reality.
Camels evolved to cope with very hot days and freezing cold desert nights. They
can go for days with little water or vegetation, and produce less methane than
cows, sheep and other ruminants.
These traits make camels uniquely resilient to climate change, and mean they
can play a key role in adapting food production as the climate changes,
especially in deserts and other drylands.
But the same traits that make camels well-adapted to climate change also make
them increasingly attractive targets for intensive farming. With big business
interests hungry for ways to combine climate fixes and capitalist growth
opportunities, an industrial camel industry is growing.
We have spent many years working with mobile camel herders in rural Arabia and
Central Asia. We fear that a switch to industrialised camel farming will not
only be bad for the environment, but will also mean crucial traditional
knowledge and intangible cultural heritage is lost. It would be a shame if
these “ships of the desert” end up as livestock stuck in a small paddock."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
