Ilse Köhler-Rollefson interview: ‘The space for camel is running out everywhere in the world’

Köhler-Rollefson, who won the Women and Child Development Ministry’s Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2017, believes that our food production system needs to mimic nature as much as possible. The author of such bestsellers as Camel Karma: Twenty Years Among India's Camel Nomads (2014) and Hoofprints on the land: How Traditional Herding and Grazing Can Restore the Soil and Bring Animal Agriculture Back in Balance With the Earth (2023), Köhler-Rollefson, who divides her time between India and Germany, talks about why the United Nations (UN) has declared 2024 to be the International Year of the Camelids and argues that the relationship between people and animals is central to food security of the world and future of the planet. Excerpts from an interview:

How significant is the designation of 2024 as the International Year of Camelids by the UN?

The idea or the initiative for the International Year of the Camelids came from Bolivia. In Bolivia, the llamas are very important culturally. They made an application to the United Nations General Assembly. It is a process that takes many years. The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations then had to look at Bolivia’s application which said camelids are very important for poverty alleviation and sustainable use of natural resources. So, the FAO supported it and the General Assembly approved it. 

What are the events happening on the occasion?

There are a lot of events, publications and conferences happening all over the world. However, one of the problems is that the FAO doesn’t have any resources for doing many activities. Last year, India was behind the international Year of Millets. India put its resources into celebrating the year. From what I have heard, Bolivia is not in that position like India. Therefore, it is up to the larger camelid community to do the activities. It is very important to direct the narrative in the right direction.

Which countries have the highest camelid population in the world?

There are camelids in the steppes and deserts of Central Asia and the Middle East, the Andes in South America and in East Africa. South American relatives of the camels constitute four different types — the guanaco, vicuña, llama and the alpaca. They are very similar to camels, but they don’t have hoofs. Right now, the camel world is going crazy because camel research happens in the oil-rich countries in the Gulf states where the camels are not used for sustenance, but are national identity.

The Gulf states have camel racing and contests where you can win millions of dollars in prize money. That is not the approach we need in poorer countries and in India or Africa. For example, In the Emirates, when the oil money started pouring in in the ’60s and ’70s, they had 30,000 camels left. Now they have more than 500,000 camels. Earlier, the people and the camels there were totally interdependent. The people love the camels. Without camels you couldn’t live in those parts of the world. There is nothing in the desert for these camels to eat.

The feed, alfalfa, is imported and grown in California in the United States where water is scarce. The camels adapt to the ecological potential of their habitat and are able to walk long distances and eat a plant here and a plant there. Putting them in farms and growing the feed for them in the other end of the world using scarce water resources just doesn’t make any sense.

What are the lessons from camels when it comes to sustaining the planet and fighting climate change?

Camels adapt themselves to arid areas and are in a position to utilise the vegetation and turn it into physical power. The camel has the ability to collect their feed, which are solar powered systems. You don’t need fossil fuels for them. Camels can exploit huge areas of land where food production is without the use of fossil fuels. Because of the rise in temperatures across the world, communities which have traditionally kept cattle are now switching to camels. This is going on in Africa, especially in Eastern Africa, in the last two decades because it makes them more resilient to droughts. It is a big thing. We can learn from it. 

What about India?

Camels in India are restricted to the Western parts of the country. It is restricted to Rajasthan and Gujarat and there are a few camels today in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra as well. These are places where it is still important to carry water for daily needs. However, the space for the camel is running out except in certain border areas where not much development is going on. According to the 2019 official census, the camel population in India is around 200,000. There used to be more than a million camels in India before. The space for the camels is running out everywhere in the world.

What are the ways in which camelid husbandry are contributing to the needs of the society?

The importance of the camel in India includes the therapeutic aspects of the camel milk. Camel milk is good for diabetes, asthma and allergies. It is also good for autistic children and is good to increase your immune system and response.Camel milk has a different composition to cow milk on a species level. In addition to that the value of camel milk is determined by the plants that the camels are eating.They eat a lot of plants, shrubs and trees with ayurvedic properties. If you drink camel milk, you get certain micronutrients that you don’t get in your normal diet anymore. I am a strong believer in camel milk.

You have been associated with the Camel Charisma organisation in Rajasthan which markets camel milk.

We started Camel Charisma ten years ago. Initially, we focused on wool and soaps. Milk is one product that can generate income. The income generated is small and benefits only a few families, but it helps increase the number of camels of these families. It has a local impact in terms of camel population and people’s livelihoods. The camel milk goes to states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana. At Camel Charisma, we ship frozen camel milk directly to the end consumer. They are always people who are told by doctors you should drink camel milk. In addition to milk, we also make cheese, which we are targeting at luxury hotels like Umaid Bhavan in Jodhpur and Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur. Camel cheese is the USP of Rajasthan.

Are there any other success models?

One country where camel dairy is successful and profitable is Kazakhstan. It is a huge country and it is totally empty basically. There is a lot of room for camels to roam around. It is also near China and China is a big market for camel milk. People in China have a strong belief in camel milk and they import a lot of camel milk. In Kazakhstan, camels move around the whole day and come back for milking. That is what we want to do in India too. Camels are not happy if you tie them up. They need to walk around and eat here and there. This is also the process at Camel Charisma. We want to support the nomadic system. Our production is cruelty-free because we don’t separate the camel mothers and their calves like in cow dairy where the calves are taken away. We have recently tied up with a start-up in the Emirates called Nomadic Nutrition, which makes energy bites based on camel milk powder. They only source camel milk powder from us because our camels are not kept in industrial spaces.

What is the future for camelids and the planet?

The relationship between humans and animals is central to the future of the planet. The knowledge of the pastoral communities is priceless. Their ability to observe the landscape and understand the connection between plants, animals and the land is vital to our food security and survival. Their knowledge of the behaviour of animals and weather and environment is important. It is holistic. Scientists always go into big details, but they miss the larger picture.