Traditional Ecological Knowledge-Based Practices and Bio-formulations: Key to Agricultural Sustainability

Abstract

The ever-increasing population and the pressure it exerts on the food systems have raised the demands on agriculture in the form of higher yields in shorter time. The high rate of production with limited arable land has caused devastating effects on the entire food chain. The soil is degraded and water is polluted. Chemical intensive systems with indiscriminate use of fertilizers and pesticides coupled with the global climate change have geared the agricultural scenario into an era of irreparable damage. We need to realize that such growth comes with a big price tag not only for humanity but also for the natural environment that sustains life and its various forms. The use of chemical-based formulations in agriculture has already raised questions on their sustainability in the long term. It has crippled not only the economic conditions of the farmers in developing countries and regions with harsh climatic conditions, but also their esthetic values are now being questioned. Our age-old systems, which withstood the test of time, always seemed to have an answer to such unforeseen situations, incurred due to governmental policies that were not futuristic enough to see the damage that might occur in the long run. Subsidized prices of chemical fertilizers, hybrid seeds, and farming policies framed to propagate them are devoid of the issues at regional and local demands. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is the indigenous knowledge of local people in any area of the world. It is framed and processed by inhabitants and carefully passed on to future generations. This knowledge is generated keeping in mind needs as well as esthetic values. Each string is woven delicately into the life-sustaining system so intricately that it becomes an inseparable part of the community in particular and the ecosystem in general. This TEK has its roots in various life-sustaining activities such as customs, rituals, health, dairy, and agro-ecosystems. In agricultural systems the TEK-based adaptations are gaining relevance due to their long-term sustainable solutions. Bioformulations and practices from these TEK systems are being revised and adapted in the present scenario to revive agri-management systems in a sustainable manner.