Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 8(2), April 2009, pp. 206-211 Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) in dairy enterprise in coastal Tamil Nadu K Ponnusamy 1* Jancy Gupta 2 & R Nagarajan 3 1 Central Institute of Brackish Water Aquaculture, Chennai, Tamil Nadu; 2 Dairy Extension Division, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana; 3 Division of Agronomy, TNAU, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu Received 15 September 2006; revised 22 December 2007 Indigenous Technical Knowledge evolved from the experiences of farmers found to possess practical utility in solving some of the farmer’s problems under their own conditions. A study undertaken in two coastal districts of Tamil Nadu helped to document various ITKs in dairying. The validation of ITKs with 25 scientists showed varied level of validity scores. The constraints in adopting ITKs as perceived by the farmers are also reported. Keywords: Indigenous technical knowledge, Dairy enterprise, Tamil Nadu IPC Int. Cl. 8 : A01K It is well recognized that the introduction of standardized technological packages has contributed a lot to the development of crop and dairy enterprises. These packages are based on the logic of top down technology transfer, which resulted in the weakening of local knowledge. It is observed that only limited number of technologies generated by National Agricultural Research System is being adopted by farmers, which indicate that the farmers are still in touch with their Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK). In this context, it is pertinent to identify and preserve these traditional technologies in order to sustain the productivity and protect the ecosystem. It will also help to develop alternatives to ecologically damaging agricultural practices, which will lead to sustainability in the long run. With this backup, a study was undertaken to identify, document and validate the ITKs practiced by the farmers in the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu. Methodology The study was carried out in Tiruvallur and Thanjavur districts of Tamil Nadu during December 2004 to April 2005. A multistage random sampling was applied to draw the samples for the study. Two coastal blocks in each identified district and 2 villages in each block were selected to draw a sample of 150. The ITKs in dairy enterprise were documented through interaction and discussion with farmers of the study area. Validity refers to the degree to which the data are realistic. The validation of ITK was done with a group of researchers for their relevance in scientific scenario. The selected technologies, which the farmers concern mostly, were sent for scrutiny. These were circulated to 25 scientists for their responses on 3-point validity continuum and the responses were scored 5, 3 and 1 for valid, not considered and not valid, respectively 1 . Thus, one ITK could get a maximum score of 125 and a minimum of 25. Constraints in adopting ITKs were also ascertained by questioning the respondents directly and thereafter ranking was done on the basis of frequency or percentages. Results and discussion The important ITKs with their validity score were indicated (Table 1). It was observed that even scientists have a varied level of perception on different ITK practices. A total of 59 formulations have been presented with the validity scores. Of which, 80% of the formulations (47 out of 59) were claimed to have the score of above 80, indicating their wider usage and applicability in the field of ethnoveterinary practice. Moreover, the higher scores have been obtained in these ITKs as a result of points rated under ‘scientifically valid’ column; hence well established. Whereas the ITKs with lower scores cannot be neglected, because the farmers in the coastal regions (experimental areas) are still following them. Hence, these formulations are to be further ______________ *Corresponding author