AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE: It denotes the Values and traditional practices adopted in ancient India which are more relevant for present day system.

Agricultural and allied activities in ancient India
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Kautilya (also known as Vishnugupta or Chanakya) (321-296 BC) was a great scholar of time. He wrote a treatise titled, Artha-sastra, which deals with the management of resources. During Kautilya’s time agriculture, cattle breeding and trade were grouped into a science called varta. Kautilya gave great importance to agriculture and suggested a separate post of head of agriculture and named it as Sitadhakashya.

Chanakya suggested many important aspects in agriculture which are highly relevant today.

1. The superintendent of agriculture should be a person who is knowledgeable in agriculture and horticulture.

2. Anticipation of labours by land owners before sowing.

3. Timely sowing is very important for high yield particularly for rainfed sowing for which, all the implements and accessories have to be kept ready.

4. Kautilya suggested that for getting good yield of rainfed crop, a rainfall of 16 dronas (one drona=40 mm to 50 mm) was essential and 4 dronas rainfall is sufficient for rice.

5. He also stressed the optimum distribution of rainfall during crop growing season one third of the required quantity of rainfall falls both in the commencement and closing months of rainy season (July/Aug; October/Dec) and 2/3 of rainfall in the middle (August/ Sept.; October) is considered as very even.

6. The crops should be sown according to the change in the season.

7. He also stressed that rice crop require less labour expense vegetables are intermediate, and sugarcane is worst as it requires more attention and expenditure.

8. The crops like cucurbits are well suited to banks of rivers, Long-peper, sugarcane and grapes do well where the soil profile is well charged with water. Vegetable require frequent irrigation, borders of field suited for cultivation of medicinal plants.

9. Kautilya suggested biocontrol methods.

10. He also suggested that harvesting should be done at proper time and nothing should be left in the field not even chaff.