Bengaluru, March 28 -- Abinaya Tamilarasu said her four cows are part of the family. She has a degree in commerce from a local college, but prefers being home milking cows and tending to her family's land.

"Our family cannot let farming go, it's a way of life for us," said the 28-year-old, who lives on her family farm in India's southern Tamil Nadu state. Even when she could be making more money elsewhere, she said she's "still happy we have our cows."

India is the world's largest milk producer, and is home to 80 million dairy farmers who made 231 million tons of milk last year. Many farmers, like Tamilarasu, only have a few cows, but the industry as a whole has 303 million bovine cattle like cows and buffalo, making it the largest contri...