First food: business of taste
Good Food is First Food. It is not junk food. It is the food that connects nature and nutrition with livelihoods. This food is good for our health; it comes from the rich biodiversity of our regions; it
Traditional Knowledge
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Enduring farms: climate change, smallholders and traditional farming communities
Most climate change models predict that this global phenomenon will have severe impacts on small farmers, particularly in developing countries. Increasing temperatures, droughts, heavy precipitation and other extreme climatic events could reduce yields by up to 50 percent in some regions, especially in drylands.
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Ethno-horticultural and olericultural concepts in folklores of Orissa
Oriya folklores and folk proverbs concerning aspects of farming schedule, climate, soil and habitat, germplasm selection and farming methods including interim care for cultivation of around 30 different varieties of horticultural and Olericultural produce of Orissa state, India are highlighted. They include fruits, vegetables, pulses, oil seeds, condiment, fibres and some cash crops. The present relevance and utility of such ancient knowledge codified in those folklores are analysed. Jan 2008
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Apatani traditions revisited
The Apatani tribe lives in the Apatani valley in the lower Subansiri District of Arunachal Pradesh. The Apatanis are well known for their traditional rice and fish cultivation, their rich agro-biodiversity and the associated traditional knowledge that supports this agro-ecosystem.
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Traditional phytotherapy among the Nath people of Assam
The present paper documents the wealth of 62 medicinal plant species used by the indigenous Nath community of Assam in different types of health treatment. The botanical name, family name, vernacular name, parts used and their application has been provided in the present paper. Jan 2008
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Gaddis' folk medicine: A source of healing
The study deals with the concept of disease and sickness, the different methods of treatment, the official health policies over the years among the Gaddis of Bharmour, Himachal Pradesh. Jan 2008
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Ethno-Medicinal Practices: A Case Study among the Sonowal Kacharis of Dibrugarh, Assam
The present study makes an attempt to find out the beliefs and practices related to health care system of the Sonowal Kachari tribe of Assam. The study reveals that the Sonowal Kachari believes that certain diseases are caused by malevolent super natural forces and they try to cure them by pleasing the supernatural powers through prayers and sacrifices. They also use various locally available medicinal herbs for treating diseases. Village medicinemen locally known as
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Gaddis' Folk Medicine: A Source of Healing
Patients seek cures from a variety of medical systems. In the traditional medical systems, medical traditions partly cover other sectors of social life. In contrast to traditional health care system, the official health care system is based on Western science and technology. Gaddis employ different ways in case of sickness. Traditional medical knowledge is coded in to household cooking practices, home remedies; ill health prevention and health maintenance beliefs and routines. Like other rural parts of India, health care in Bharmour among Gaddis is characterised by medical pluralism.
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The role of cultural values in agrobiodiversity conservation: A case study from Uttarakhand, Himalaya
The role of socio-cultural values in biodiversity conservation is an integral part of the people living in Uttarakhand, Central Himalaya, India. Due to a variety of reasons the area under traditional crops is declining very fast in the region but undoubtedly many of the crop varieties are still conserved in the region because of their socio-cultural and religious values. The traditional festival called "Harela' is one the festivals in Uttarakhand which encourages people to conserve and manage their traditional crop diversity.
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Turning disadvantages to their advantages - Lessons from tribal potato farmers of Meghalaya Hills
Farmers' indigenous method of management of potato blight by selecting the appropriate varieties as per the production situation characteristics in the existing constrained conditions in the Meghalaya hills for their benefit is a successful example of informal research and large-scale application of the results in the real field conditions.
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Natural dye-yielding plants and indigenous knowledge of dye preparation in Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve, Central India
The Chhattisgarh state, in the heart of India, is very rich in biodiversity as well as in the forest cover. Forests of Chhattisgarh have a number of dye yielding plants which produce different colours.