Traditional Knowledge for Sustainable Management of Soils - Principles of Sustainable Soil Management in Agroecosystems - page 304

13.6 Traditional Land Use Systems ...................................................................... 327
13.6.1 Soil Depth and Crop Management ................................................. 327
13.6.2 Soil Texture and Crop Choice ........................................................ 328
13.6.3 Physiography and Crop Management ............................................ 329
13.7 Strengthening Modern Science by Building upon Traditional Knowledge ...... 330
13.8 Conclusions ................................................................................................... 331
Acknowledgments .................................................................................................. 331
Abbreviations ......................................................................................................... 331
References .............................................................................................................. 332
13.1 INTRODUCTION
“The term traditional knowledge refers to that information which is accumulated from
the wisdom of the older generation, which in turn has been gained through obser-
vation, experience and experimentation.” This knowledge is often unique to a given
culture, being passed on from generation to generation and, in most situations, orally
(Nagnur et al. 2006).
Ever since mankind domesticated plants, and started practicing settled agricul-
ture, it has been adopting a number of traditional practices, which have evolved over
time. Many soil management practices have been followed in ancient cultures of
India, China, Egypt, and Iraq, which are passed on through generations orally with-
out any formal documentation. However, some ancient texts and stone inscriptions
provide insights into these practices and their rationale. In India, the ancient texts
describe four pillars of farming as Bhoomi (land), Varsha (rain), Beej (seed), and Hal
(plow). Soil and its management have been given utmost importance by indigenous
farmers for successful agriculture.
In Athar va Veda (Pant and Khanduri 1998), soil was described as an anchorage
for all. Soil was the receptacle of all that lives. The following hymn sums up the tra-
ditional perception of Indian society to soil:
Important to us those vitalizing forces
that come, O Earth, from deep within your body,
Your Central point, your novel, purify us wholly
The Earth is the mother; I am son of Earth
Rain giver is my father, may he shower
It is further said that soil is our most valuable material heritage, the basis of all
terrestrial life. As an ecological factor, soil is of great significance, for it affords a
medium of anchorage of plants and a depot for minerals and water.
The practices adopted by farmers for developing ethnotaxonomy and fertility man-
agement are on account of the adaptive skills of local people derived from years of
accumulated experience (traditional knowledge) that have often been communicated
through oral traditions and learned from the family members over the generations
(Thrupp 1989). Traditional knowledge is a rich source of location-specific ecologi-
cal information and also provides the key to understanding people's sociocultural