Inventory of indigenous healthcare practices of dairy animals

Abstract

The development of indigenous knowledge (IK) and the associated technology has a logic of its own as also some kind of rough and ready methodology that is not altogether without merit and further that there is much to be learn from the vast structure of such IK as offered by various cultures all over the world. Research on IK and on farmers’ experimentation is still in its infancy. Keeping these in view, an attempt has been made to prepare an inventory of IK in healthcare practices of dairy animals. The study was conducted in purposively selected Birbhum district of West Bengal. Multistage stratified sampling was applied for selection of blocks (2) and villages (4). <i style="">Snow-ball</i> sampling technique was adopted in the selected villages for collection and documentation of IK. Participant observation, unstructured interaction and recording of oral case histories by tape-records were used for preparation of inventory on indigenous healthcare practices of dairy animals. Attempts were made to probe the farmers’ rationality towards the IK. Thirty-one IK have been collected, classified and documented with rationality.