Agricultural Knowledge Reflected in Assamese Bihu Geet: Documentation from Traditional Baree Homestead Gardens of Assam, India
Abhilasa Kousik Borthakur *
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dhemaji, Assam, India.
Gunjan Gogoi
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dhemaji, Assam, India.
Manoranjan Neog
Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, Assam, India.
Homeswar Mazumdar
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Nalbari, Assam, India.
Sanchayeeta Gohain
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Tinsukia, Assam, India.
Prasanna Kumar Pathak
Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, Assam, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: Assamese Bihu geet frequently refer to plants, seasonal change, household food production, and management practices associated with the Baree, the traditional homestead garden of Assam. This study documented and classified agricultural knowledge represented in selected songs and examined its relationship with contemporary descriptions of homegarden management and natural-farming principles.
Methods: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted from January 2021 to January 2022 in 24 villages across Nalbari, Baksa, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Golaghat, and Sivasagar districts, representing three agro-climatic zones of Assam. Ten farmers aged over 60 years were included from each village, for a total of 240 respondents. Information was collected through focus group discussions and personal interviews using a semi-structured schedule. Documented songs were classified according to the agricultural practice represented, and their agronomic relevance was interpreted conservatively using published literature and institutional crop recommendations.
Results: Thirty-six Bihu geet were documented. Four concerned Baree layout and planning, three concerned planting methods, one concerned plant spacing, three concerned cropping systems, one concerned fertilisation, 18 concerned crop diversification, three concerned crop management, and three concerned post-harvest management or marketing. The songs represented vertical use of space, mixed cropping, use of household organic resources, seasonal foods, plant phenology, integrated fish-horticulture components, and traditional areca-nut preservation.
Conclusion: Bihu geet preserve culturally embedded observations concerning crops and the Baree system. Several observations are compatible with established horticultural or agroecological principles, but the songs should be treated as documentary sources and hypotheses for participatory validation rather than as proof of agronomic effectiveness. Their preservation can support research on indigenous agricultural knowledge, cultural heritage, and context-sensitive extension.
Keywords: Assamese Bihu geet, Baree, homestead gardens, indigenous agricultural knowledge, oral tradition, crop diversification, agroecology, natural farming, folk media