Ethnopedological knowledge of farmers for a decision support system in Manipur state, northeast India

Abstract

Ethnopedology has gained importance in the recent years providing a better understanding of the local community practices in relation to preserving local soil knowledge of indigenous and rural communities. Despite the use of soil among present day and ancient societies with respect to technology, key soil procedures and changes included are comparable. The present exploratory study is conducted in three tribal villages in Manipur state to study the ethnopedalogical classification on the basis of several indicators used by the farmers. Data was collected from the farmers through key informants focused group discussions, transect walk and brainstorming technique. The validation of the ethnopedological knowledge based on the physico – chemical properties of the soil determined from the laboratory testing ascertain that the classification of soil by the farmers. The findings of the study have important policy implications for sustainable agricultural practices in the region.