Draft power Cows pull plows in the semi-arid regions of India, even though they are sacred. In south India, only male buffaloes, not cows, are used to pull carts. Dung Cattle manure is dried , in this example on a brick wall, and used for fuel to cook food for people. The shortage of wood and the lack of income to buy fuel results in dung being used for fuel rather than for fertilizing fields. The bulk of commercial milk in India comes from buffaloes.
Cows are important for small-scale farmers for home consumption.
In Europe, dairy products, especially butter, also played an important role in the Protestant Reformation. Cattle are commonly seen walking on streets and in public places, such as temples. Here is an example from Kathamandu, Nepal . In the 14th century, the Roman Catholic Church prohibited butter eating on fast days, a decision, which did not please the butter-eating nations of northern Europe. They felt they were being forced to eat inferior oil, and many of the wealthy paid, grudgingly, for dispensations that allowed them to eat butter on fast days, proving revenue for the Church in the oil-eating south.