One cow for every farmer
Cow Project
This project supports the purchase of on cows for every farmer
Addressed issue / objectives
- Cows provide the much needed natural fertilizer
In addition
- Cows can pull the plow
- Cows pull heavy loads
- Produce milk for own consumption or for sale
Project budget
A village with 50 farmers = 50 cows
One cow = 300 €
Project location
Farmers in Telangana, India
Project benefits
Environment - Farmer - Producer - Consumer
Project status / duration
September 2022
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A cow for more organic? What's behind it:
Project details
Organic farmers gain two and a half times more income than conventional cotton farmers. The higher income enables them to live with a perspective for the future. However, every now and then the shoe pinches here and there. Therefore, we are on site in the villages of the Chetna farmers and have an open ear for their concerns. Shortly before Corona we visit one village in Telangana: The farmers report that they would need more cows to bring their dunk as natural fertilizer to the fields. Organic is as simple as that!
But with 300 EUR per cow the purchase is almost unaffordable for farmers. A few cows for all 50 families in the village community would only cause trouble. So Ralf Hellmann, CEO of textile company Dibella and founder of GoodTextiles Foundation had the idea to start the fundraising project "One cow for every farmer". This extraordinary project has met with great approval. "We are delighted to see the wave of enthusiasm and the first promises of donations for this fantastic project," says Ranga Rajan project coordinator in India.
Sustainability
In addition to the most important reason for purchase - the production of fertilizer - the cows also serve as livestock. They are harnessed in front of the plow and make the strenuous work of tilling the soil easier for the farmers. As draft animals they serve to transport heavier loads, and as milk suppliers they contribute to a family's food supply. Surplus milk that is not needed in the household also provides families with an important additional income through sale.
Impression of successfully implemented the first "one cow for every farmer" project in India, Aliguda (Telangana),
Visiting the farming families and their cows in Aliguda, India by end of 2022.
Fifty cows arrived in the small village of Aliguda in early June 2022.
The Goodtextiles Foundation thanks Michael Kestin for the creation of the video
Project Supporter
Many thanks to the large number of individuals who participated in this project.
If you want to support this project, please get in contact.
Ralf Hellmann: "The great success of the project in Aliguda Village, which is already foreseeable, therefore spurs us at the GoodTextiles Foundation on to expand the project to other villages. For the benefit of those who grow our organic cotton, we are therefore delighted to receive any further monetary donations."