European Cow Protection and Agriculture. General Synopsis Disaster unfolding or looming within farming projects Self sufficiency and farming relegated

European Cow Protection and

Agriculture

General Synopsis• Disaster unfolding or looming within farming projects• Self sufficiency and farming relegated to history• Preaching about the importance of the farm has not been prioritised• Sense of starting again. How have we come to this after 30 years • Our practiced social structure does not withstand leadership defection• Asking impossible things of farm devotees. No money, no support, no housing,

no future• Dependant on new pool of volunteers, current system does not support families

making it a career• Cows stopped being bred or herds expanded and Cow protection being given up

by allowing national herds to die off• Oxen not wanted and thus few working• Farm production (where done) not supported by farms or other centres• Farm products only for the farm and not the rest of the projects• Farm assets sold for short term maintenance• Farm land not being increased but sold off piece by piece

The whole idea is that we are ISKCON, a community to be independent from outside help.

(SPL to Yasomatinandana Dasa 28th Nov 1976)

•Our farm projects are an extremely important part of our movement. We must become self sufficient by growing our own grains and producing our own milk; then there will be no question of poverty. So develop these farm communities as far as possible.

•(SPL to Rupanuga 18th Dec 1974)

ISKCON European League table 2007Country land Herd Milk Oxen Ox hrs Arable Forest Wood Houses Direction

size Yield Working Used m3 Status

1 Hungary 200 34 23,000 10 7800 25 30 500 16 Thriving2 England(BM) 52 41 44,000 9 5200 0 1.8 0 9 Thriving3 Czech 40 12 7000 4 1000 13 0 0 0 Uncertain4 Sweden 60 11 2500 1 500 0 40 360 11 Uncertain5 Poland 35 6 3600 1 300 25 5 100 2 Precarious6 Spain 300 6 7000 0 0 20 270 0 14 Uncertain7 Italy(VV) 80 8 0 0 0 10 60 200 2 Uncertain8 France 83 3 0 0 0 8 70 400 7 Terminating9 N Ireland 15 3 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 Terminating

10 Germany 21 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 Terminating11 Italy(PD) 13 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 Terminating12 Slovakia 1.5 13 0 4 100 0 0 80 0 Precarious13 Swiss 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Terminated14 Belgium 60 0 0 0 0 10 47 0 15 Terminated15 Italy(VHK) 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 30 Terminated16 England(cnwl) 1.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Unrated17 Scotland 4.8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 Unrated18 Italy(GM) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Unrated

Europe 975 144 87,100 29 14900 111 531.8 1640 126

Cow Protection and working oxen statusCountry Direction Summary

Status1 Hungary Thriving 2 Thriving2 England(BM) Thriving 4 Functioning to some degree but uncertain3 Czech Uncertain 2 Functioning but Precarious4 Sweden Uncertain 4 Terminating cow protection5 Poland Precarious 3 Already terminated6 Spain Uncertain 3 Unrated as yet7 Italy(VV) Uncertain8 France Terminating 18 Rural projects9 N Ireland Terminating

10 Germany Terminating11 Italy(PD) Terminating12 Slovakia Precarious13 Swiss Terminated14 Belgium Terminated15 Italy(VHK) Terminated1617 Scotland Unrated18 England(cnwl) Unrated

Italy(GM) UnratedEurope

Milk used by each farm project

010,00020,00030,00040,00050,00060,00070,000

Milk need 319,000 litres for farms

Hungary England(BM) Czech Sweden Poland

Spain Italy(VV) France N Ireland Germany

Slovakia Swiss Belgium Italy(VHK) Italy(PD)

Scotland England(cnwl) Italy(GM)

How much milk do we need for self reliance in Europe

• Milk need for farms alone is 319,000 litres per year

• How much milk is needed for all projects – should we estimate twice as much thus 640,000

litres– Should we estimate thrice as much thus

1,000,000 litres per year

Milk produced in each farm

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

Milk Produced 87,100 litres (27% of total)





Expected Herd Size for Milk Product Consumption

Farm Project Only-not Including City Temples and Other Projects

020406080

100120140

Expected herd 570





Actual herd size

0

10

20

30

40

50

Herd size 143 (25%)





Estimated herd size for ISKCON European self reliance

• Assuming need is 1,000,000 litres per year we would require to impregnate 120 cows each year.

• Herd total over 15 years 1800 cows.

Many Temples in India Have Herds of 2000 Cows

Annual Working Hours of Oxen

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

Annual Ox Working hours





Heating with own woodlands

0

100

200

300

400

500

Wood used in M3





Challenge-Making Farms Fashionable

• Insufficient vocal support of leadership– Not sure if farm projects are important– Not enough regular visits by GBC and other

leaders– Little preaching on the importance of the farm

Proposal – Make farming prestigious

• Leaders take every opportunity to glorify the farm projects and the endeavours for self sufficiency

• Leaders visit the farms more regularly

• Leaders meet with the farming devotees, encourage them and support them

Challenge – Finding carers for the cows and farmers for the land• Insufficient persons to care for the cows and

the land

• Expectation that farm devotees will be volunteers or independently financed

• Where will farming devotees live

• A lifestyle for somebody else

Proposal – Make farming family friendly

• Provide key farm workers with a living

• Pay the real price and find donor support

• Two persons at least for milking, ox work and cover

Challenge – Funding for farms

• Finances are difficult to find

• Farms need a lot of capital and running costs

• Food items cheaply available in market

• Live in society of 9% spent on food using farming system that works with 70%

Proposals – look to our own• Farms made national projects for fund

raising

• Find 100+ members of congregation to donate 20 to 30 euros per month through their bank

• Focused monthly donor raising for next three years at large gatherings, mail etc

• Find an independent trustee for each farm

• Milk and farm products valued at real price by ISKCON projects

Cow protection means good food and good trade.Srila Prabhupada letter 22 January, 1976 to Jayatirtha

Challenge – Valuing our own

• If the farm has it we don’t want it

• The food from the land has soil on it

• Somebody else has eaten a bit already

• It looks different this time than last

• It takes more time to prepare it for the pot

• I can get it cheaper from the supermarket

Proposal – Support it by using it

• Buy it from the farm if it is available

• Buy it at all cost (maybe a bit more each year though)

• Tolerate (no, enjoy) the soil

• Tolerate the bites (its actually edible food)

• Give more time to its preparation (It’s for Krishna)

Yes! Go on acquiring the surrounding lands and in this way we will establish a local self governing village and show all the world a practical example of spiritual life as Krishna Himself exhibited in Vrindaban.Letter to: Kirtanananda Bhaktivedanta Manor 27 July, 1973

Challenge – Finding a place to live

• I want to work on the farm but where do I live

• Most projects have no spare housing

• Most projects can build but don’t have capital

Proposal – Building more homes

• Don’t sell homes or land to devotees or others

• Build to rent

• Tied homes. Here is your work, Here is your home, Here is your income

• Lease OK

• Build all that can be built

Five Point Action Plan for Farm Development

• Make farming prestigious within ISKCON

• Make farming family friendly

• Find funding from our own

• Support it by using it

• Providing more homes

Documents

European Cow Protection and Agriculture. General Synopsis Disaster unfolding or looming within farming projects Self sufficiency and farming relegated