For the group of 37 school students from Coimbatore, the two-day stay at Senaapathy Kangayam Cattle Research Foundation (SKCRF) and Kangayam cattle tract offered a different experience. Not only did they get an opportunity to know about the cattle but they also went back richer with the knowledge of making some unique value-added products from the cow’s urine and dung.

Kathiyawadi horse

They also got a glimpse of the Kathiyawadi horse, a rare breed of horse from the North-Western belt of the country, reared at the facility. “We are facilitating and encouraging these type of visits by youngsters only to ensure that the future of the animal-species that face extinction like Kangayam cattle will be safe in the hands of the next generation,” K.S.M. Karthikeya, managing trustee of SKCRF, told The Hindu.

Jeeva Amirtham

Apart from teaching the students the origin and benefits of Kangayam cattle to the farming community, the resource persons from SKCRF explained the techniques to make Jeeva Amritham, a product that can be made from urine of Kangayam cattle and used as a substitute for nitrogenous fertilizers. Another product that was usually made from Kangayam cattle’s urine and dung is Bij Amritham, used for seed treatment due to its anti-fungal properties.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by R Vimal Kumar / Tirupur – August 06th, 2013