Animal Hostel: A Case Study of a Eco-friendly, Cooperative, and Profitable Model

In India, production of milk increased from 17 million tonnes in 1950–51 to 127.9 million tonnes in 2011–12 and further to 140 million tonnes in 2013–14. Considering the rising disposable income and strong demand for dairy products, the dairy sector of India is likely to witness high growth rates in the coming years. Unlike major developed countries, milk production in India is a subsidiary activity to crop production. India's milk producers are predominantly smallholders or landless and dairying is an important livelihood option for them. Milk production in India has been increasing steadily, but the demand for milk is also increasing at a rapid pace. Hence, the issue of sustainable increase in milk production needs to be addressed on priority. It requires implementation of new approaches for the dairying activity. In this the regard the Government of Gujarat has initiated a novel concept of ‘Animal Hostel’. This concept of Animal Hostel is eco-friendly and provides multiple benefits to milk producers besides addressing the main issue of increasing milk production. This paper has described the important features of first Animal Hostel of India as a case study.