Vol. 12, Issue 5 (2023)

Author(s):
Rituraj Boruah, Ruby Sarmah, JK Dutta, D Borah, CR Deka and HK Kalita

Abstract:
Technical knowledge (ITK) is the accumulated skill and knowledge of a locality or a community that has been passed down from generation to generation. It is the set of knowledge, skills, and abilities of the local people that have been developed through close interactions with nature and natural resources for their livelihood to minimise crop environmental risks to maintain productivity and sustainability. Most indigenous communities in India possess a unique set of traditional knowledge and technology. These indigenous knowledge and technologies have provided the indigenous communities with comfort and self-sufficiency and are usually at the level of modern knowledge and technology. The traditional knowledge and technologies associated with these communities can contribute greatly to the overall socioeconomic development of the communities. Documentation and preservation of Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) is urgently required for a number of different communities, many of which are on the verge of extinction. The current study is aimed at compiling the Indigenous Knowledge Systems (ITK) used by the tribal farmers in Sonitpur district of Assam in order to document how they are being used in agricultural field. The rationale behind using the ITKs identified in the investigation was purely based on the free opinions of the respondents since they had experience with the results themselves. The ITKs were further analyzed and tabulated based frequency and percentage, and then ranked accordingly. There were 28 nos. of indigenous practices identified for cereals, vegetables, storage pest, fruits etc. which were practiced by different proportions of tribal farmers. The study revealed that out of 10 nos. of practiced ITKs in cereals by tribal farmers, 59.17 percent of the respondents mentioned the practice ‘A flame is put on in the rice field in the milky stage of rice (Oryza sativa)’as rank I. Further, out of 11 nos. of practiced ITKs in vegetables by tribal farmers, 84.17 percent of the respondents indicated the practice ‘Audio tapes are tied around nursery plot’ as rank I. However, in controlling storage pest, 71.67 per cent of the respondents mentioned the practice ‘Neem (Azadirachta indica) leaf powder is sprayed in the rice storage structures’ as rank I. Furthermore, 81.67 per cent of the respondents gave the practice for controlling fruit pest, ‘Smoking under mango (Mangifera indica) tree at the time of flowering’ as top rank. As part of today's agriculture, it is recognized that systematic documentation, refinement, and technology development combining modern knowledge with IT technologies will help in protecting the environment, combat climate change and reduce the impact of environmental degradation. Obtaining proper documentation, validation and developing environmental friendly and location-specific technologies may require the involvement of farmer's organizations, KVKs, Zonal Research Stations and SAUs from different strata. Validating and regulating ITKs at the national level will, on the one hand, ensure the uniqueness of ITKs, while, on the other, creating a base for future research and development in agriculture. Identifying scientifically sound indigenous practices will aid scientists in implementing technology blending programmes and in developing low-cost, location-specific and appropriate technology.