While scientists and farm managers at ICAR are recommending that people use cow dung and cow urine for their kitchen garden and gardening problems like pests, one of main problems faced by those living in small towns and cities is finding cows for dung and cow urine. In Mumbai, there are some places with cowsheds, buffaloes and cows, however in small towns like Panaji, it is relatively difficult to find a cow grazing freely to collect their dung.
A few decades ago, in Miramar area near Panaji, there were fields and goats would be roaming freely, so the goat dung could be used for gardening which was good for plant growth. Now almost all the fields have been replaced by houses and buildings. A woman also said that cow urine will make the coconut tree increase the yield.
If cow dung is used in a pot, it will retain water and the plant will have to be watered only once a week. It appears that the plants sold in Mumbai are using cow dung, so they will survive for some time without any water at all.,
However,finding a cow and the cow dung remains difficult in small towns which are relatively cow free due to the large number of vehicles in the town.