18 - Conclusion

Summary

Traditional agricultural knowledge is generated by the local people with their own experiences and experimentation to meet their diverse needs. Local environmental factors and cultural conditions govern the evolution of indigenous knowledge. Efforts are to be strengthened for documenting and validating the indigenous knowledge to ensure sustainable agricultural production. There is also a very strong case for re-orienting the formal agricultural research to give high priority to the identification, testing and modification of the traditional technologies practiced by the farmers.

The efforts made and results obtained in the collection and documentation of indigenous knowledge in agriculture prevalent in North Malabar, though not exhaustive, clearly indicates the potential for utilizing the indigenous knowledge for the sustainable development of the region. If the available indigenous knowledge is to be brought into focus and popularised, conscious efforts are required to formulate strategies and implement programmes in which farmers, researchers and extension personnel cooperate in the documentation, validation and dissemination of indigenous knowledge. The research and development personnel may include the indigenous knowledge items classified as rational in the package of practices recommended for cultivation of crops for obtaining better yields with lesser cost.