Indigenous Agricultural Knowledge Systems and Community Based Natural Resource Governance

Himadri Rabha

Abstract
Indigenous agricultural knowledge systems in India represent deeply interwoven relationships between communities and nature, shaped through centuries of observation, cultural belief and ecological stewardship. Practices such as Jhum cultivation, the Apatani rice–fish system and the Zabo water-harvesting method demonstrate sophisticated ecological engineering grounded in sustainability, biodiversity conservation and community cooperation. These systems integrate seed diversity, agroforestry, sacred grove protection and customary governance led by village councils and women knowledge custodians. Amid climate change and development pressures, indigenous communities continue adapting through resilient crops, soil enrichment, watershed care and youth engagement. Their governance systems emphasise collective rights, shared responsibility and spiritual ethics, offering powerful models for sustainable resource management. Preserving these knowledge systems requires recognition of community rights, participatory planning and respectful partnerships that value traditional wisdom as essential to ecological and social resilience.