Rapid industrialization coupled with commercialization and deforestation in the recent past have eroded much of the folklore concerning indigenous traditional knowledge affecting the natural resource base, strategies for soil and water conservation, biodiversity, etc., in the context of global change. After centuries of evolution in traditional knowledge by the farmers and through inheritance, they have developed complex farming systems very well suited to the risk-prone situations. All these systems in fact helped them to manage sustainably under a limited resource base in harmony with nature without depending on the high-energy-intensive modern farming practices. The farmers were competent enough to have those technologies that were very pertinent for the conservation of soil and water, nutrient management, control disease and pest attacks in crops, maintaining both above and below-ground diversity, medicinal uses of plants, nutritional security, etc. We need to learn from them and apply the traditional knowledge base integrating with modern scientific tools to reduce the cost of cultivation, improve soil health, reduce the burden on natural resources and sustain the yield with minimum damage to the environment. The blending of ITK with modern scientific technologies had immense benefits in terms of saving precious inputs like fertilizer (N) by 90–100 kg ha−1 annually through the adoption of integration of FYM at 5 t ha−1 with parthenium green manure at 6 t ha−1. Similarly, the use of rhizobium could save around 25–50% of the recommended dose of fertilizer N. Green manuring can substitute 50% of NPK needs in rice under a rice-wheat system without any productivity loss. Rejuvenation of the traditional haveli system in Vertisols improves the level of water in dug wells by 2–5 m additionally and would increase the cropping intensity by converting 20% of permanent fallow into productive lands that further increases the income of the farmers. Crop protection measures like summer ploughing led to reducing the infestation of insects, pests and weeds thus creating a congenial environment for crops. Thus, it is high time to act together to revive and document that invaluable traditional knowledge for sustaining agriculture, livelihood and environmental security.