H. R. Ansari-Renani1
Key words: nomad, cashmere, goat, yarn, neat wear
1 Center of Excellence of Organic Agriculture Animal Science Research Institute of Iran
Role of Livestock in Sustainable Agriculture IAHA Pre-Conference on Organic Animal Husbandry November 7-8, 2017 linked to the 19th Organic World Congress, New Delhi, India, November 9-11, 2017 Organized by IAHA, FiBL, OFAI, NCOF, ICAR-IVRI , ANTHRA, IFOAM
Introduction
Cashmere is the fine undercoat of special goats and is regarded as a luxury fibre and one of the softest and warmest animal fibres principally used for clothing. Iran is one of the main producers and exporters of cashmere in the world; ranked third after China and Mongolia (Ansari-Renani, 2015). Of the 25 million goats in Iran, five million are cashmere-producing goats. Nomads play an important role in sheep and goats production mainly because they keep 58.5% of the sheep and 39.7% of the goat populations of Iran (Ansari-Renani et al. 2013).
More than 90% of Iranian cashmere is produced in the eastern part of the country mainly by two breeds of goat; Raeini in Kerman and Birjandi (Baluchi) in the South Khorasan provinces. However, Raeini goats, kept mainly by nomad farmers in Baft city in southern Kerman province of Iran, are the most important cashmere producing breed both in terms of population and volume of cashmere produced. The use of limited external inputs and maximum on-farm reliance brings nomadic
extensive farming closer to organic systems. The aim of the present work was to investigate organic production of cashmere, yarn and neat wear in the nomadic region of Baft city in Kerman province of Iran.
Material and methods
This study was undertaken in the nomadic regions of Baft city in southern Kerman province of Iran. Kerman province is a highland region 2,270 meters above sea level with a latitude of 29°17’N, longitude of 56°36’E and < 250 mm annual rainfall. Summer is hot and dry (up to 35 °C), and winter is moderate. Thirty nomad settlements, belonging to the Siahjel sub-tribe of the Raen tribe, were chosen at random within ± 20 km of Baft. A structured questionnaire was completed for each individual nomad family. Final information was gathered primarily through in-depth interviews with nomadic men and women livestock producers and also with specialist and field observations. Results and discussion
The results from a study of 686 samples taken from 29 nomadic herds in Baft city are given in Table 1 and summarised below:
Mean fleece weight 507 3 ±182.6 g Percentage cashmere yield (CY) 56.5% ±12.2% Mean fibre diameter 19.7 ±1.5 µm Fibre diameter standard deviation 4.5 ±0.6 µm
Fibre curvature 62.9 ±8.5 ˚/mm
Staple length 54.2 ±7.0 mm.
(Ansari-Renani et al. 2012)
Table 1. Overall mean, standard deviation (SD) and range of fibre characteristics for Raeini goats.
Trait No of animals Mean SD Minimum Maximum
Fleece weight (g) 643 507.3 182.6 100 1250 Cashmere yield (%) 686 56.5 12.2 9.5 87.1 Mean fibre diameter (µm) 686 19.7 1.5 14.9 25.2 Fibre diameter standard deviation
(µm) 686 4.5 0.6 3 7.4 Fiber curvature (°/mm) 686 62.9 8.5 33.9 93.6 Staple length (mm) 686 54.2 7 40 79
Cashmere produced naturally with limited external inputs is handspun into yarn by using a spinning wheel or drop spindle. The yarn is spun thick or thin and can later be dyed or left as a natural colour. Handspun yarn is used for knitting, and weaving products. The characteristics of spun yarn vary according to the material used, the fiber length and alignment, quantity of fiber used, and degree of twist. A simple method of spinning yarn is with the spindle, a straight stick 8 to 12 inches long on which the yarn is wound after twisting. Traditional spinning wheels are used for spinning and yarn production. Different knitwear such as hat, socks, gloves etc are woven using simple long needles. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing organic dyes without any use of chemicals where the temperature and time control are two key factors in dyeing. Nomads use mainly plant dies for dyeing cashmere. Most common natural dyes originate from Henna and Rubia plants and Walnut husks.
References
Ansari-Renani, H. R 2015. Cashmere production, harvesting, marketing and processing by nomads of Iran – A review. Pastoralism: research, policy and practice. 5: 18.
Ansari-Renani, H. R., Mueller, J. P., Rischkowsky, B. Seyed Momen, S. M., Moradi, S. 2013. Nomadic pastoralism in southern Iran. Pastoralism: research, policy and practice. 3: 11.
Ansari-Renani, H. R., Mueller, J. P., Rischkowsky, B. Seyed Momen, S. M., Alipour, O., Ehsani, M., Moradi, S. 2012. Cashmere quality of Raeini goats kept by nomads in Iran. Small Ruminant Research. 104: 10-16.
Abstract
The present study was conducted to explore the feasibility of the low cost, natural, bio-diversified integrated livestock rearing practices followed by Mr. Aman Lakra Abhaypur, a farmer of Bareilly district, Uttar Pradesh, India. The data were collected personally by interview and observation. He has 55 bighas (22.02 acres) of agricultural land and started livestock and poultry rearing integrated with crop during 2013. He is producing 16 liters of milk/day from dairy animals and 115 quintal of fish/annum. He is earning approx. Rs. 2500 – 3000 (37.26 -44.71US$) /month from selling eggs and live poultry birds, and approx. Rs.10,000 (149.09US$)/annum from the goat unit. He is producing about 20 kg honey per month in an effective season and generating employment for college going youth with the intent of developing their skills in agricultural based enterprises. His farming is characterized by low-cost inputs, less dependence on markets and effective labour utilization. Chemical free farming and natural management of livestock and birds has led tothe high demand for his farm produce.