Animals at Work in Agriculture
In praise of the animals working in agriculture to plough, carry, weed and fertilise
Paul Starkey talks about his journey to write 'Animal Traction in South Africa'. Sri-Lankan female cashew farmers take over drying their own nuts. A test case has been mounted over whether the traditional Indian neem pesticide can be patented by a multinational company. Plus, changes in international law have Indian farmers fighting for their traditional rights to their own seeds.
NOTE: In 2005, reports Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News, India won its 10-year-long battle at the European Patent Office (EPO) against a patent granted on an anti-fungal product, derived from the seed of the neem tree. EPO initially granted the patent to the US Department of Agriculture and multinational WR Grace in 1995. However, the Indian government successfully argued that the medicinal neem tree is part of traditional Indian knowledge.
