Effects of different ITKs for enhancing crop production under natural farming: A review

Abstract

The demand for food products grown organically is rising as environmental and health concerns have gained global attention in recent years. We also firmly believe that in the future, contemporary agriculture could not be able to support the demands of the world's growing population. We are therefore looking for substitute technologies. Numerous substitutes have been suggested, including organic farming, biodynamic farming, low external input agriculture, and sustainable agriculture. However, because farmers have acquired this knowledge from their experiences and observations, Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) has been essential to agriculture for many generations. The use of ITK-based organic formulations for crop production has gained popularity recently. These formulations are created from organic elements that can be found locally and have been shown to be successful in controlling pests and diseases as well as encouraging plant development. Unlike modern farmers, our forefathers did not experience widespread insect outbreaks or economic crises because they adopted such indigenous wisdom. The use of bio-fertilizers, Azolla, and organic manures such as farmyard manure, vermicompost, poultry manure, and green manure have become increasingly popular among farmers and researchers as nonchemical sources of plant nutrients due to the energy crisis, increased fertilizer costs, sustainability in agricultural.