Ethnoveterinary practices amongst tribal pig farmers in Karbi Anglong district of Assam, India

Abstract

Folk traditional knowledge and practices are very rich and popular among the tribal farmers in different agricultural practices. The community based cross-sectional study was carried out to know about pig farming pattern, ethnoveterinary knowledge and practices among various tribal pig farmers in Karbi Anglong district of Assam, India. Various field data pertaining to pig management were collected through personnel interview, pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires and field visits. This study attempted to evaluate the potential use of medicinal plant and its by-products as feed ingredients and traditional folk medicine. A total of 40 species of ethnoveterinary medicinal plants were recorded which are principally used to cure various major and minor ailments like fracture, parasitic infestation, maggoted wound, diarrhoea, fever etc. Use of locally available feed ingredients will help in exploration of forest resources, minimize production cost. The present study recorded a total of 21 wild plant species which are used for feeding pigs with most frequently used species belonging to Broussonetia papyrifera, Colocasia esculenta, Alternanthera sessilis etc. The study will help the farmers, environmentalist, researcher and other stakeholder to identify, document, familiarize and better understanding of the distribution of rich medicinal plant in the hill region.