The domesticated water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is probably the most
important draft animal in the world today: both in terms of numbers and for its
economic contribution to Asian smallholder agriculture.
For centuries the carabao or kalabaw - as
it is known in the Philippines - has been the backbone of rice farming,
literally.
Modernization policies have often
disregarded the carabao; or they have focused only on milk production. Yet,
buffaloes aren’t a remnant of bygone agriculture; nor is the choice of turning
these traditional draft animals of Asian smallholder farmers into cogs of dairy
production systems always sustainable.
At Luntian Farm, we tried to explore the
role of water buffalos in farming processes less dependent on fossil fuels.
This would require better understanding of this resource, starting from better
designed equipment.
