Local Knowledge in Managing Upland Agriculture by the Adis in Arunachal Pradesh, Northeast India

Abstract

The paper has made a scientific enquiry to discuss the relevance of traditional indigenous knowledge in ecological management. In view of this, the study has documented indigenous practices of soil management in traditional agro-ecosystem by applying scientific tools of analysis. It has documented high crop diversity and diverse cropping patterns, weed diversities, and management of biomass adopted by Adi shifting cultivators in the hills of Arunachal Pradesh for the long-term sustainability of traditional agro-ecosystem. Particularly, the paper has focused on the unique Panpeng method, an indigenous method used by them in hill slopes during shifting cultivation to reduce soil degradation.