Traditional Pest Management Practices and Beliefs of Different Ethnic Tribes of Meghalaya, North Eastern Himalaya (original) (raw)
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Crop damages caused by pests contribute substantially to economic loss in agriculture. The conventional approach to pest control has been the use of chemical pesticides or adopting integrated pest management approaches. In the rural areas of northeast India, particularly the uplands, agricultural extension and supportive delivery systems are practically non existent. Even where such services are available, the rural poor normally do not have the means to access these services. In the absence of these facilities and supportive delivery systems the rural upland farmer is largely dependent on traditional practices of pest management based on empirical experience. Documentation of such practices reveals an interesting insight and understanding of plant resources as well as the ecological principle of food-web linkages by the communities. This presentation highlights a few of these practices.
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Indigenous technical knowledge derived from traditional wisdom is an asset of farmers in developing countries. To ensure the continuity of these practices for future generations, we need to understand the scientific rationality and their communication patterns, and then document them. This study aimed to document the indigenous pest management practices, test their scientific rationality, and determine their communication pattern among the farmers. A total of 120 farmers from district Bageshwar in Uttarakhand, India, were selected through the simple random sampling method. Interviews and focussed group discussions were used to collect data. Out of a total of 32 documented indigenous practices, 27 were found to be rational by the scientists. Neighbours ranked first as the source of information, followed by friends and relatives. Knowledge related to managing pests through indigenous methods was shared by the farmers, mainly in temples. They learned the practical application of these ...
An appraisal of the traditional post-harvest pest management methods in Northeast Indian uplands
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There has been a paradigm shift in recent years towards the use of natural, reliable, and sustainable products in grain protection; from the conventional use of synthetic toxic substances. The role of traditional knowledge in storage protection is being increasingly realized across the globe. The age-old traditional post-harvest pest management methods practiced by 6 indigenous communities in three hill districts of Meghalaya and Manipur of Northeast India, Garo, Mao, Maram, Poumai, Thadou and Tangkhul have been described. Applicability of the traditional methods in ensuring food security through reduction of post-harvest loss is discussed. It is opined here that due recognition should be given to traditional methods of an area in the post-harvest protection programme of that area. Continuous use of these methods by the indigenous communities through generations reflects a potential management option of grain protection for subsistence farmers, otherwise these could have perished long back soon after their development.
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Manipuri (Meitheis) community is a separate ethnic group of people which has different entity in Barak Valley of Assam. They possess unique culture and method of agricultural practices. In order to study the farmers' participation and traditional pest management practices in paddy crop, the investigation has been undertaken with the Manipuri farmers. Three sites viz. Mainabond, Sonai and Rajwari were selected for the study to document the farmers' participation/beliefs and traditional knowledge in paddy pest management. A total of 97 farmers were interviewed through the questionnaire. Mean education level was found higher (8.42 ± 0.81) in Sonai as compared to other two sites, which indicated maximum use of modern insecticides. Paddy yield was also found higher in Sonai (370.5 ± 0.45 kg/ha) than other sites. Regarding pest management and use of insecticide at Mainabond, the yield was found highest due to frequent sprays of insecticides, whereas 86.36% of farmers of Rajwari did not use insecticides, and 90.90% farmers gave importance to the harmful effects of insecticides particularly on human health. For the management of different storage, farmers practiced some indigenous methods besides chemical pest management. These traditional practices proved to be a sustainable method of insect-pest management in Barak Valley.
Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 2013
A consolidated list of edible insects used in the eastern part of Arunachal Pradesh (N.E. India) by Wangcho (Wancho) and Nocte tribes of the Tirap District and the Shingpo, Tangsa, Deori and Chakma of the Changlang District has been prepared. The list is based on thorough, semi-structured field-interviews with 20 informants of each tribal group. At least 51 insect species, belonging to 9 orders were considered edible. The largest number of the edible species belonged to the Coleoptera , followed by 10 each of the Orthoptera and Hymenoptera, 9 of the Hemiptera, 3 Lepidoptera, 2 Isoptera and one each of Ephemeroptera, Odonata and Mantodea. As far as therapeutic uses of insects are concerned, 4 species (Hemiptera) were mentioned by the Wangcho (Wancho). Food insects are chosen by members of the various tribes according to traditional beliefs, taste, regional and seasonal availability of the insects. Depending on the species, only certain, but sometimes all, developmental stages are consumed. Preparation of the food insects for consumption involves mainly roasting or boiling. With the degradation of natural resources, habitat loss, rapid population growth, and increasing 'westernization' , the traditional wisdom of North-East Indian tribals related to insect uses is at risk of being lost.
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The mountain farming communities of the Garhwal Himalaya rely on a conventional approach to agriculture to meet their subsistence needs. The resilience of local crop varieties plays a significant role in crop productivity in the indigenous agricultural system. In such circumstances, the protection of the crop from insect pests becomes paramount. Traditional ecological knowledge plays a crucial role in safeguarding standing crops from production losses in an environmentally benign and sustainable manner. The investigators in this study have surveyed the Mandakini valley to document the indigenous practices undertaken by the farming folks to protect the crops from pest infestation in the region. These practices are discoursed here and, further, look into the potential of natural predators as bio-control. The findings indicated that pests from the order Coleoptera had the most species, followed by Lepidoptera and Hemiptera. Most of the pests in the study site were serious defoliators, damaging the young foliage of the crops. Some entirely fed upon their roots-stems, while the rest were leaf miners and sapsuckers, thus compromising the overall well-being of the plant. In a developing country like India, there is a lack of reliable data that sheds light on the annual crop losses incurred by these pests. Thus, it becomes pertinent to compute an overall estimate of crop losses at various stages of crop production, from seed storage to post-harvest times.