This paper published in the Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge highlights the findings of a study that correlates the indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge in assessing the nutrient availability status of agricultural soil as practised by the Nyishi tribes who use visual properties such as colour, texture and topographic positioning of land/terrain. The increasing attention paid to local soil knowledge in recent years is the result of greater recognition that the knowledge of people who have been interacting with the soils for a long time can offer many insights into the sustainable management of tropical soils. Traditional subsistence farmers throughout the tropics exhibit a deep understanding of their local ecosystems.
The present study reports on the role of indigenous knowledge in soil characterisation, land use, suitability and land management in the highland agro- ecozone of the Papum Pare district of Arunachal Pradesh in North East India and attempts to correlate the indigenous knowledge with conventional land evaluation procedures and management recommendations made by the soil scientists.
The study found that farmers of the study village use physical as well as perceptual characteristics of the soil and land to name and classify their soils. The physical dimension deals with the most observable criteria that farmers use to distinguish their soils.
The paper ends by arguing that the result of this two way exchange process is that it has a positive impact on the technical knowledge by nurturing it with local perceptions and demands. Positive impacts are also envisioned on the local knowledge base as it provides with away for tacit knowledge to be widely understood, assessed and utilised.
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