Presentation

The Dictionary of Traditional Agriculture (DicAT) presents in parallel traditional agricultural techniques in four languages: French, English, Chinese and Japanese. Begun in 2009, this dictionary is the fruit of the experience and research of academics and researchers: : Yoshio Abe (Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales, EHESS), Cozette Griffin-Kremer (Centre de recherche bretonne et celtique, CRBC), Guoqiang Li (Université Paris Nanterre), Perrine Mane (Centre de recherches historiques, CNRS), François Sigaut (Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales, EHESS), Eric Trombert (Ecole pratique des hautes études, EPHE), Charlotte von Verschuer (Ecole pratique des hautes études, EPHE). This dictionary is part of the East Asian Civilisations Research Centre(CRCAO).

Presentation of the terms is original in following a thematic organization. Terms can be searched for by word or by category. Thus far, the dictionary contains the following thematic files: cereals, plant morphology, ploughing, sowing, field systems, fertilization, water control, harvesting, threshing, fruit and vegetables, horticulture, that is, over 1600 entries. This will be completed by terms connected with stock-raising, viticulture and fish farming.

DicAT is a compendium of traditional agricultural knowledge before the use of industrial chemistry widely known through online industrial catalogues. Dicat hopes to facilitate translations for historians, agronomists, interpreters and all interested parties..., but also to contribute to safeguarding natural resources, protecting the environment and bio-diversity, and to valorizing the principles of traditional agriculture.