Trustees – An essential team for sustainable projects
Trustees – An essential part of a cow protection project or a farm that is producing milk for sale that will care for all the progeny for the whole life.
A project that produces milk from cows that are not killed must have a system of managemen that can outlive the person who is taking care of the cows. A person will stop taking care of the cows one day due to retirement, departure and maybe changing his/her mind. We have seen this practically in those members of ISKCON who have taken it up on their own steam and then at some point they look for others to carry it on.
The cows cant be sold or given away unless it is to somebody who has the same principles. For this reason I propose that a practical solution is that each project that wants to take up milk production for protected cows should initially find trustees who have oversight on the project. it does not mean that the key workers cant also be trustees but there must be others who can give consistency and can ensure the principles of the farm are continued after the entrepreneur has moved on.
The trust then holds the land, ensures that the principles of the farm are followed, that appropriate people are employed for key roles, that they follow legal and other food production laws. that there are sustainable economic models for each element of the farm. To keep the farm project dynamic and healthy I would say that the trustees are not static managers but they are looking for the next element of expansion. Pancatantra says that you cannot just maintain your wealth. If you are not trying to increase it, it will decrease. you maintain the health of the project by expansion.
A free thinking individual who wants to get on and start having their own cows may not like this oversight group, however the question should be asked how will this project go on when I am no more. A group of appropriate trustees will give the vision and long term stability for the project. Without this how will there be a handover of protected cows.
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