Scientific Farming Advocated by Thiruvalluvar

Abstract

The research tries to document the scientific aspects of traditional agricultural knowledge as expressed in Thirukkural, the Tamil scripture by Thiruvalluvar, the eighth-century Tamil poet, who is associated with the Thirukural. Although there is a distinct difference between organic and inorganic farming in the modern era, ancient tamil literature revealed that the farming methods of natural farming are of scientific nature before the chemical farming era. The paper looks into the compatibility of Thiruvalluvar’s slokas on ploughing and manuring with the current soil science and sustainable agriculture concepts. A conceptual analysis is used, based on soil physical and biological properties (bulk density and microbial activity), and hypotheses are proposed that contrast traditional knowledge and modern agronomic science. The importance of using correct ploughing which will break the clods into ¼ of their size is emphasized in verse 1037 of the Thirukkural indirectly stating optimal bulk density around 1g/cm³ which will contribute to better aeration, better water infiltration and better root development. Likewise, verse 1044 emphasises the need to manure and protect the crops and not just plough and irrigate, reflecting the current trend of promotion of soil biological health, zero tillage, and IPM. The results clearly support that the principles of soil management and crop protection taught by Thiruvalluvar are scientifically valid. The paper is able to reject the null hypothesis and thus, it concludes that the agricultural couplets written in Thirukkural are in accordance with the scientific farming in the present times. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the synergy between traditional ecological knowledge and modern sustainability frameworks, drawing implications for the creation of sustainable and resilient agriculture practices by the classical Tamil literature.