Indigenous technical knowledge in little millet cultivation among Malayali tribes of India

Abstract

Aim: Indigenous Tribal Agricultural Practices (ITAPs) has potential to significantly raise the production and sustain it in the long run. These ITAPs have more adaptability to the local situation, and hence can be used in formal advisory system. Several such useful ITAPs existent at field level is at the brink of total disappearance. Hence in the present study, the selected ITAPs of little millet were examined for their rationality and extent of adoption. Methodology: The indigenous knowledge in little millet were aggregated, categorized and reported. The selected ITAPs of little millet were examined for their rationality. For assessing the rationality, twenty three ITAPs were bifurcated viz., nineteen related to crop production and four related to plant protection aspects Further, the extent of adoption by the tribal farmers were analyzed. Results: From the selected twenty three ITAPs of little millet, nineteen (82.60 %) were rational and four (17.40 %) were irrational. Sixteen ITAPs were adopted by 75 % of farmers (fourteen of them were rational and two of them were irrational), six ITAPs were adopted by 50-75 % of the respondents (five of them were rational and one was irrational) and only one ITAP was found to be irrational with low adoption (<50%). Interpretation: The rational and effective ITAPs can be incorporated into existing efforts to enhance and expand effectiveness and can also serve as the basis for new initiatives. [GRAPHICS] .