Traditional Agricultural Practices: Applications and Technical Implementations

Newer technologies for increasing agricultural production are now becoming available at a much faster rate. But the mechanism for transferring them to the uneducated and small producers in an effective manner does not exist. There is an urgent need for a communication network at the service of the poor farmers in our country like the global communication net work which makes the latest findings available without delay to research workers in any particular field. It is not only knowledge that is needed, but an approach which will be able to supply the right knowledge and tools to the right people, at the right time and above all at the right place. In developing countries, the other alternative viz., traditional methods have special advantages over modern agricultural techniques because: o The capital and technological skill requirements in the use of traditional technologies are generally low. o Their adoption often requires little restructure of the traditional societies. o These traditional technologies are not other than the indigenous knowledge. o By adopting such indigenous knowledge, our ancestors did not face any problem of large scale pest out break or economic crisis unlike the today's farmeThis book covers wide areas of traditional practices viz. , traditional varieties, crop protection, crop management, storage structure, medicinal plants, farm tools, ethno veterinary practices, fisheries, post harvest techniques and other miscellaneous practices. The practices are rationalized and the rational practices will serve the scientists with new technology for test verification and to select the viable technology for field level recommendation. This book will serve as highly useful reference material to the community of scholars and scientific workers both in the laboratories and applied fields. This will set the phase for the future generation in this area.