On this page, we will publish some of the results of our research as and when it becomes available….

LPP’s „Ark-project“ presented at IFOAM Conference on Organic Animal Husbandry

A paper about LPP’s „Ark of Biodiversity“ project that is supported by the Fondation d’Entreprise Hermes was presented during the IFOAM Conference on Organic Animal Husbandry held in Hamburg from 12-14th September. It clearly states that locally adapted breeds are the foundation for „green“ and ecological livestock development. The presentation is available here.

How does one make ghee?

Ghee – clarified butterfat – has enormous cultural, religious and nutritional importance and meaning in India. Among the desert communities of Rajasthan, offering ghee to guests is part of the hospitality ritual, and it would be extremely impolite to provide “luki” (dry) chapattis (unleavened bread) without ghee to a visitor. In temples, ghee is essential for rituals (puja), and ghee is also extremely important as a source of nutrition and energy, especially for pregnant and nursing mothers and for people recovering from illness. The ghee from indigenous cows is considered the best and most preferred, buffalo ghee is less popular.

Ghee making is a female chore. Here is a presentation by LPPS intern Gemma Julia about how women make Jaisalmer Ghee.

Why is Jaisalmeri meat famous?

“Jaisalmeri meat” – named after the famous caravan town in India’s Thar desert – is famous – we hear about it all the time. But why? Does it taste good, because it comes from a particular breed of goat, i.e. is genetic, or because of what the goat eats, i.e. is a question of feeding and the environment, or it is because of the way the meat is cooked? How do we disentangle these factors? And anyway, what is “taste”? Isn’t taste culturally conditioned, i.e. depending on what you ate as a child, or because we associate a certain dish with a particular area to which we are sentimentally attached?

Read what our team found out in this report about the The Ark of Livestock Biodiversity expedition