Indigenous technical knowledge for enhanced agronomic productivity and soil health of small holder farmers in Tropical India

Abstract

Smallholder farmers, majorly constituted in rainfed regions account for a sizeable proportion of the agricultural community. Various constraints like fragile ecosystems, increasing competition for land and water, lack of infrastructure, low investment capacity, low-risk bearing capacity, poor market linkages, price volatility, etc. limit enhancing productivity levels in the areas congregated by small farmers which ultimately restricts livelihood enhancement. The adoption of Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) can be regarded as a viable option towards enhancing agronomic productivity and elevating livelihood status. The current review majorly throws light on various indigenous practices catering to meet various objectives viz. climate change adaptation, soil health enhancement, moisture conservation, seed storage, plant protection, etc. and steps involved in ITK analysis.