Rationalisation of indigenous technical knowledge on pest management in the farm production systems of Palakkad District
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Date
2003
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Department of Agricultural extension, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara
Abstract
The study on "Rationalisation of Indigenous Technical Knowledge on pest
m.anagement in the farm production systems of Palakkad district" was conducted with
the over-riding objective of compiling. and cataloguing the Indigenous Technical
Knowledge (ITK) including contemporary farmers' innovations in pest management
in the major production systems, and analysing the evaluative perception and
rationality of ITK items. The respondents of the study comprised of 150 farmers, 84
extensionists (including agricultural and veterinary departments) and 60 scientists,
from agricultural and veterinary faculties.
The study was conducted as a phased programme. The analysis of data elicited
through Key Informant Workshops (KIW's) and Participatory Learning and Action
(PLA) sessions were subjected to various statistical analyses. The results of the study
confirmed that farmers have rich knowledge on pest management developed by their
ancestors and peers. The results established that the farmers did not perceive all the
traditional practices as good or sound. They defended their opinions based on multi-
faceted technology evaluation attributes and field realities. The ITK's screened
through KIW's when subjected to the researchers and extensionists showed high
difference of opinion, though some sort of similarity was also observed, when the ITK
attributes were considered separately. On combined effect of perceived effect and
scientific rationality of ITK items, similarity of opinion was observed in high
potential and low potential ITK's as perceived by researchers and extensionists.
The ITK's screened through Key Informant Workshops, when subjected to the
researchers and extensionists, received differential perceptions in many cases and
agreement on others.
Besides these, there existed high correlation and significant relationship
between the perceived effect and scientific rationality of each ITK as perceived by
researchers and extensionists. Hence it could be concluded that majority of the ITK
items with high perceived effect were perceived to have high scientific rationality
also, though a few showed no relation at all. This indicated that perceived effect of an
ITK is highly influenced by its scientific rationality and vice versa.
While analysing the combined response of researchers and extensionists on the
perceived effect and scientific rationality of ITK items, separately, majority of the
items seemed to be non significant. This shows that both researchers and extensionists
differed greatly in the perception of an ITK on its perceived utility. It could be further
narrowed down that the attitude and viewpoints of researchers were different from the
extensionists.
The critical examination of the data analysed proved that there existed some sort
of agreement in response pattern given by the farmers, researchers and extensionists.
There were some ITK's which showed similarity in the response of high ranking and
low ranking ones as given by all the three-respondents. At the same time a few ITK's
clearly discriminated the perception of researchers and extensionists. This means that
there were a few ITK's that discriminated the researchers and extensionists widely
and a few others which exhibited agreement.
Results of the study indicated the need for indepth assessment and validation of
ITK's at laboratory and field levels through multidisciplinary approach, other than
mere documentation and romanticization of all traditional knowledge without
reasoning. While doing so, all the dimensions related to each specific technology must
be worked out.
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MSc
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Citation
172087