Intersecting Knowledge With Landscape: Indigenous Agriculture, Sustainable Food Production and Response to Climate Change – A Case Study of Chuktia Bhunjia Tribe of Odisha, India

Abstract

This paper documents the traditional agricultural practices of Chuktia Bhunjia tribe of Odisha, India, and attempts to comprehend as to how they negotiate with their ecosystem in order to ensure sustainable agricultural production and livelihood. Data, collected using interview and observation, reveal that agricultural practices of the Chuktia Bhunjia are revolved around local ecology, beliefs, rituals and knowledge. The knowledge-based intercropping, agroforestry, crop rotation, crop diversity, rain-water harvesting and management of soil fertility are important domains involved in their agricultural practices that are found to as a function of long-term observation and experiments, and are reported to have been culturally reproduced through self-engagement and ritualistic practices associated with agriculture. Their agriculture is assumed to have significance in maintaining the soil fertility and moisture, and reducing greenhouse gases and enhancing carbon sequestration whereby to balance the landscape. The agroforestry-based agricultural practices, coupled with belief, ritual and technology, is also found to make their agriculture cost-effective and ensure conservation of ecological system. Climate change–driven agricultural decision-making among them is found to as a tool not only to arrest their crop failure but also to ensure sustainable food production and livelihood. Yet, the expected evacuation of inhabitant including Chuktia Bhunjia due to ‘tiger-project’ is assumed to be a threat to their agricultural knowledge and other cultural domains. Therefore, owing to the livelihood implication of traditional agriculture, any attempt to integrate their agricultural knowledge base with scientific knowledge would ensure sustainability of both ecology and livelihood together.

Food security for Nigerians through sustainable agriculture

“…Indicators that showed that sustainable agricultural practices improved the environment in which they were practiced were the most cited evidence of practice effectiveness and included water conservation, improved soil fertility, increased soil microbial activity and reduced carbon emissions (e.g. Hu et al , 2019; Manríquez-Altamirano et al , 2020; Sabar and Midya, 2022). For example, Manríquez-Altamirano et al (2020) reported the outcome of an experiment that showed that the solid waste generated by crops grown through urban agriculture, in this case, tomato stems, were very effective organic fertilizers that improved soil fertility as evidenced by the increased yield of lettuce produced by the fertilized soil.…”

“…This indicates that a likely higher level of success would have been achieved if the farmers were consulted duly. The integration of the traditional knowledge system and modern techniques and implemented through government agencies in guiding the farmers to better output poses as the most effective implementation approach to sustainable agricultural practices (Seko et al , 2021; Sabar and Midya, 2022). This is the case in the implementation of sustainable agriculture practices in Italian jam production, as identified by Recanati et al (2018).…”

“…Indigenous farming, which represents the traditional way of farming typically involving manual methods that are part of the cultural fabric of a location, was showcased by four of the articles reviewed (Sharma and Singh, 1997; Bisht et al , 2014; Seko et al , 2021; Sabar and Midya, 2022). Sabar and Midya (2022) described the indigenous farming practices of the Chukta Bhunjia tribe of Odisha in India, which involved rain-water harvesting, crop rotation and agro-forestry. These indigenous agricultural practices were found to be very effective in maintaining soil fertility and reducing the emission of greenhouse gases (Sabar and Midya, 2022).…”

“…Sabar and Midya (2022) described the indigenous farming practices of the Chukta Bhunjia tribe of Odisha in India, which involved rain-water harvesting, crop rotation and agro-forestry. These indigenous agricultural practices were found to be very effective in maintaining soil fertility and reducing the emission of greenhouse gases (Sabar and Midya, 2022).…”

“…Sabar and Midya (2022) described the indigenous farming practices of the Chukta Bhunjia tribe of Odisha in India, which involved rain-water harvesting, crop rotation and agro-forestry. These indigenous agricultural practices were found to be very effective in maintaining soil fertility and reducing the emission of greenhouse gases (Sabar and Midya, 2022). The last sustainable agricultural practice identified in the review was part-time farming, which was highlighted by four of the papers reviewed (Giourga and Loumou, 2006;Cahya, 2016;Nordhagen et al, 2019;Matamanda et al, 2022).…”