Showing papers on "Traditional knowledge published in 1994"

Beyond Farmer First: rural people's knowledge, agricultural research and extension practice

Abstract: Part 1 Theoretical reflections on knowledge, power and practice: introduction knowledge, power and agriculture - towards a theoretical understanding, I. Scoones and J. Thompson knowledge, consciousness and prejudice - adaptive agricultural research in Zambia, M. Drinkwater the interweaving of knowledge and power in development interfaces, N. Long and M. Villareal indigenous management and the management of indigenous knowledge, D. Marsden "the technicians only believe in science and cannot read the sky" - the cultural dimension of the knowledge conflict in the Andes, M.A. Salas trees, people and communities in Zimbabwe's communal lands, F. Matose and B. Mukamuri declarations of difference, J. Fairhead and M. Leach indigenous soil characterization in Northern Zambia, P. Sikana agricultural discourses - farmer experimentation and agricultural extension in Rwanda, J. Pottier composing rural livelihoods - from farming systems to food systems, A.J. Bebbington. Part 2 Methodological innovations, applications and challenges: introduction acknowledging process - challenges for agricultural research and extension methodology, A. Cornwall et al participatory watershed management in India - the experience of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme, P. Shah challenges in the collection and use of information on livelihood strategies and natural resource management, K. Schoonmaker Freudenberger developing interaction and understanding - RRA and farmer research groups in Zambia, M. Drinkwater quality control, method transfer and training, J. Jiggins the ethics of documenting rural people's knowledge - investigating milk marketing among Fulani women in Nigeria, A. Waters-Bayer stimulating farmer experiments in non-chemical pest control in Central America, J. Bentley encouraging knowledge exchange - integrated pest management in Indonesia, Y. Winarto learning by improvization - farmers' experimentation in Mali, A. Stolzenbach experimenting farmers in Northern Ghana, D. Millar local knowledge formation and validation - the case of rice production in Central Sierra Leone, P. Richards participatory methods and political processes - linking grassroots actions and policy-making for sustainable development in Latin America, L.A. Thrupp et al. Part 3 Transforming institutions and changing policies: introduction tiwards a learning paradigm - new professionalism and institutions for agriculture, J.N. Pretty and R. Chambers from research to innovation - getting the most from interaction with NGOs, J. Farrington and A.J. Bebbington. (Part contents).

Using indigenous knowledge to improve agriculture and natural resource management

Abstract: Scientific knowledge systems have received increasing criticism within the social science literature while indigenous knowledge systems are often over-optimistically presented as viable alternative ways of knowing. This paper argues that we need to search for more effective and creative interactions between indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge systems. I discuss the strengths and the weaknesses of both scientific and indigenous knowledge systems, then use three examples to illustrate the strengths and limitations of indigenous knowledge systems. I then draw on these examples to indicate in what situations we should look for guidance and ideas from indigenous knowledge systems. The paper closes with a discussion of how scientists, social scientists and people with local knowledge can better work together to improve agricultural and natural resource management systems.

Appreciating Agrodiversity: A Look at the Dynamism and Diversity of Indigenous Farming Practices

Abstract: (1994). Appreciating Agrodiversity: A Look at the Dynamism and Diversity of Indigenous Farming Practices. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development: Vol. 36, No. 5, pp. 6-45.

Sustaining the Forests: The Community‐based Approach in South and South‐East Asia

Abstract: The concept of sustainability emphasizes four basic principles when applied to rural communities: that basic needs must be met; that resources should be subject to local control; that local communities must have a decisive voice in planning; and that they should represent themselves through their own institutions. These principles have been notionally accepted by development planners and conservationists at all levels. Yet, throughout the tropical forest belt, they are being systematically overridden by international and national policies and development programmes, leading to increasing poverty, social conflict and rapid deforestation. Traditional knowledge and systems of land use have proved far more environmentally appropriate, resilient and complex than initially supposed by outsiders. Forest peoples have successfully opposed many socially and environmentally destructive development schemes proposed for their lands. However, these societies are not resisting all change: population increase and the internal dynamic for development have also created social and environmental problems. A review of community-based initiatives in South and South-East Asia shows that in some countries, positive initiatives have been taken by local and national governments to promote a community-based approach. Notable successes have been achieved but many other initiatives have failed. The examples show that, besides the four principles noted above, environmentally successful management also depends on innovative political organization at the community level.

Community-based fisheries management, tradition and the challenges of development in Marovo, Solomon Islands.

Abstract: This study examines traditional fisheries-related resource management through a case in which local communities, from a basis of customary, ‘common property’ control over the sea and its resources, handle a multitude of development issues. Presenting first some important issues relating to people's role in fisheries management and to the ‘common property’ debate, the article then describes a traditional system for management of land and sea resources in a Pacific Islands society; that of Marovo Lagoon, Solomon Islands. Emphasis is given to fisheries resources, with a view to explaining in practical terms how a system of customary marine tenure operates under the wider social, political, economic and ecological circumstances of change arising from development pressures. Against this background, assessments are made of the viability of this traditional fisheries management system under present conditions of state control and of both external and internal pressures for large-scale resource development enterprises.

Indigenous knowledge in a ‘modern’ sustainable agroforestry system—a case study from eastern Brazil

Abstract: The case of an agroforestry farm in the coastal mountain area of the federal state of Bahia, Brazil, is used to highlight benefits of the integration of traditional knowledge into a scientifically based farming system. Special attention is given to the selection, combination and management of the crops cultivated. Working hypotheses on the rationale of some major measures are suggested and discussed from a synecological point of view. The results show that under the site conditions the ‘forest garden’ provides cocoa yields without external inputs at a level which, in the surrounding cocoa plantations, can only be attained by the use of considerable amounts of fertilizer and pesticides.

Ecocolonialism and indigenous knowledge systems: Village controlled rainforest preserves in Samoa

Abstract: Ecocolonialism, the imposition of European conservation paradigms and power structures on indigenous villagers, is incompatible with the principles of indigenous control of village rainforest preserves. Since 1988, four rainforest reserves in Western Samoa and one US National Park in American Samoa have been created on communal lands using the principles of indigenous control, preserving a total of 30 000 hectares of lowland rainforest and associated coral reef. The reserves in Western Samoa are owned, controlled, administered and managed by the villagers. While these reserves appear to be robust approaches to preserve establishment within the communal land tenure system of Samoa, the concept of indigenous control appears to conflict with ecocolonialist attitudes that disparage the traditional knowledge, culture, political systems, and integrity of indigenous peoples. We discuss problems that have occurred in the Samoan village preserves and offer suggestions for the establishment of future village-controlled preserves in other areas of the South Pacific.

The role of folklore in environmental conservation: evidence from Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract: SUMMARY A number of wild biotic resources used by man for food, shelter and cultural activities are now either rare, endangered or extinct. The problem of adequate protection for these resources stems from habitat loss and lack of adequate information on how biotic resources were sustained through traditional ecological knowledge in the past. This study investigated the significance of folklore on environmental conservation in the rainforest belt of Edo State, Nigeria. Data were derived from a questionnaire survey involving 400 respondents in six rural settlements between May and November, 1992. From the analysis of these data, most indigenous folklores influenced the conservation of the environment. Nevertheless, the changing religious beliefs of the people in a heterogeneous composition of settlements, market-based agricultural production, and changes in the recreational activities of young people have disintegrated the traditions on which the folklores were based. Thus, the role of folklore in biotic c...

Ecological Knowledge and the Regional Economy: Environmental Management in the Asesewa District of Ghana

Abstract: This study examines perceptions of the environment in farming communities in the forest ecotone of Ghana. It places local knowledge within a socio-economic and historical context and argues that knowledge is continually evolving, attempting to solve existing problems and discovering new ones. It maintains that favourable conditions exist in farming communities for environmental actions and development approaches based on sustainable development, since these areas have suffered from the negative effects of degradation. However, major constraints exist within the wider political economy and policy framework, which is still locked into environmentally-hostile export-oriented production, and political models which marginalize rural people.

Techniques and methods of ethnobotany: as an aid to the study, evaluation, conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

Abstract: Information is presented which defines ethnobotany, discusses its philosophy and principles, and considers the relationship between ethnobotany and the conservation of biodiversity.

Food, culture and environment: the case of the Atharaka of Eastern Kenya

Abstract: This study explored the cultural institutions of the Atharaka so as to identify the strategies they use to cope with food shortages in their drought-prone environment. The economic and cultural institutions of the Atharaka were explored so as to identify the coping strategies used in their food procurement. Attention was focussed on the way the Atharaka conceptualize food, environment, and the forces of change that impinge upon their culture.

Using the Aboriginal Rangelands: 'insider' Realities and 'outsider' Perceptions.

Abstract: Aboriginal ownership of Australia's rangelands is already significant and is likely to increase with recognition of Native Title. Aboriginal management of the rangelands, including their use for cultural and subsistence purposes as well as for pastoralism and conservation (parks) presents alternatives to conventional practices. Traditional ecological knowledge is applied in all forms of Aboriginal land use. Multiple use of the land, combining two or more forms of use within a single area, is predominant. Such strategies are particularly important in more marginal parts of the rangelands where, because of environmental unpredictability, single purpose use may threaten the successful survival of landholders. A case-study of contemporary land use practised by the Ngarrinyin people in one such marginal area, the interior section of the Kimberley's remote Gibb River road, illustrates these points. As it shows, Aboriginal groups have varied their land management responses according to the extent of their ownership and control over their traditional country. The multiple uses which they practise enhance both their chances of providing a livelihood and the sustainability of the land as a whole. Non-Aboriginal neighbours have also increasingly moved towards multiple use strategies. These realities challenge the common perception from the 'outsider' government authorities that such regions should focus on single purpose use, with pastoralism the prime emphasis. The paper argues that this challenge must be met, by revision of land tenure to accommodate multiple use, by improving Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communication and information exchange on rangeland management, by providing appropriate land management programs and by engaging in longterm, holistic planning for all residents of such regions. Such approaches would enhance opportunities for closing the gap between the realities of rangeland use and beliefs in appropriate forms of use.

Ethnobotany and Intellectual Property Rights

Abstract: Contemporary intellectual property law permits only the patenting of an identified active principle from a plant, not the plant or folk information relating to medicinal properties of a plant. The most significant rights of indigenous peoples are those deriving from physical control of the plants and the knowledge pertaining to their use. This control can provide the basis for trade secret protection. Such agreements are enforceable in developed nations and should become so in developing nations. There have been recent efforts to strengthen indigenous peoples' rights over genetic resources and relevant folk knowledge but the most far-reaching of these are not yet a part of international law. Pharmaceutical patents combined with trade secrecy can allow firms to develop and market products and ensure that the nation and/or people from which the material or information was derived are properly rewarded. This does not provide protection from competition or with respect to derived knowledge nor does it act retrospectively. At present, rights under the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity are prospective only. These rights belong to the nation and there is little legal pressure for recompense to be shared with indigenous peoples. A uniform agreement that deals in a balanced way with the relative rights of indigenous peoples and of their governments should be developed by non-governmental organizations.

Multimedia as a vehicle for knowledge modeling in expert systems

Abstract: This article examines the integration of expert systems (ES) with multimedia technology. Multimedia allows a wide variety of sensory information and knowledge to be stored in ES and thus allows ES to be more effective. Additionally, this article explores the types of knowledge that should be embedded in expert systems to provide users with support in decision-making tasks. Traditional knowledge representation schemes, such as frames and production rules, have not always proved effective for presenting requisite knowledge to the user. Traditional knowledge representations force users to translate their conceptualizations of problem attributes and characteristics into text form and then convert back to their own conceptualizations in interpreting the recommended solutions. To provide better support to users, both a knowledge representation and a knowledge presentation are necessary to foster communication, knowledge explanation, as well as user learning and corporate training. The notions of knowledge representation and knowledge presentation are derived from the concepts of symbolic and replica models proposed by Chapanis (1961). Replica models, a form of knowledge presentation, enhance communication and learning. The use of multimedia as a vehicle for knowledge presentation provides a powerful interface with a full range of audio/visual features to express knowledge more completely. This greatly enhances a corporation's ability to capture, embed, and distribute knowledge.

Indigenous agroforestry in Latin America: A blueprint for sustainable agriculture?

Abstract: Large-scale rainforest destruction in Latin America has occurred partly as a result of government policy incentives to colonize and clear forest for agriculture and ranching, in order to alleviate poor economic and social conditions in other regions. Inappropriate agricultural techniques have been used which are not sustainable, and the new colonist farmers are forced to clear ever more virgin forest for agriculture in order to survive. The objectives of this literature review are to assess the value of the traditional subsistence agroforestry (swidden) systems practised over centuries by the indigenous people of Latin America (Amerindians), and to suggest ways of incorporating these methods into a sustainable (non-destructive) and productive system for the new colonist farmers. In the past, researchers perceived these swidden methods as an exploitative and destructive form of agriculture, because they involved cutting and burning of the forest. However, clearings are small, and planting and protection of trees after the initial cultivation of annual crops aids the forest regrowth in the fallow phase. Specific examples of swidden agroforestry systems are described, and their contribution to sustainability, biodiversity, productivity for market, soil conservation, flexibility and population density support are discussed. Overall, they are found to be less destructive and more productive than the new colonist agriculture, and should form a basis for a sustainable system. The review then outlines the possibilities for and limits (often labour intensive, location-specific and socioeconomic constraints) to the adoption of these methods by new colonist farmers. Suggestions are made for research priorities to enable their effective transfer, including thorough documentation of existing systems and their capacity, participatory field research, the marketing potential for crops and forest products and the changes in government policy required to implement these methods. The review concludes that indigenous agroforestry systems are both ecologically and economically beneficial, but are not without some limitations. From the wealth of indigenous knowledge available and proposed new research, it should be possible to adapt these systems to produce a model or blueprint for sustainable and productive agriculture for the new colonist. Indigenous Agroforestry in Latin America: A Blueprint for Sustainable Agriculture? will not only be of interest to policy makers and donor agencies, but also to those interested in the preservation of the rainforests.

'not Passing Through': Aboriginal Stakeholders in the Rangelands.

Abstract: Comparison of Aboriginal interests in rangelands in western New South Wales with those in north- western Northern Temtory and the Kimberley of Western Australia reveals little difference in their history, aspirations for land acquisition, or plans for multiple use management. Throughout Australia, Aboriginal people who are traditional owners of rangelands continue to live on or near the land they regard as traditionally theirs. This is true of the more closely settled rangelands as well as remote regions. In all the rangeland areas Aboriginal people now wish (and following the Mabo decision may more realistically expect to gain) some form of freehold title to at least some of their land. Aboriginal people whose traditional lands are located in western New South Wales have access to very little of their land but have maintained their connection to it. They have aspirations of obtaining access to and control over portions of it, with plans to manage it under a multiple use regime that would include small-scale sustainable pastoralism and agriculture, while living in dispersed family groups on the land. Aboriginal people's desire to retain access to their traditional land for non-economic reasons (spiritual, social, historical) is paramount. Should the Commonwealth Land Fund legislation be enacted, cultural imperatives as well as economic viability will need to be taken into account in the purchase of land. Planning for future management should incorporate traditional ecological knowledge and should involve Aboriginal traditional owners and their organisations, such as land councils and resource agencies, in local and regional planning.

Indigenous knowledge in resource management: irrigation in Msanzi, Tanzania

Abstract: This study is part of a larger project (From the Ground Up) to identify and analyze effective community-level efforts in natural resource management. This case study pertains to Tanzania and the Msanzi village in the southwest. The Msanzi village is the origin of an irrigation system that was initiated in 1933 and expanded upon in 1966 and during the early 1980s. Farmers worked together to improve the system to include coverage of about 110 hectares of farmland. Six features are identified as contributing to affect water management: crises that provided incentive to construct the system local leadership and innovation use of new ideas with the support of local leaders the availability of local natural resources and labor the cash crop incentive to manage water resources and external technical assistance for continued functioning. The crises include a severe flood in 1933 a serious drought in 1966 and the collapse of the main canal due to erosion in 1983-84. Farmers objectives are to lessen the effects of the ongoing crisis. The rehabilitation of the water system resulted in decreased chances of the crises reoccurring and improved socioeconomic welfare. The new system assured control over an irrigation and drainage system rather than a reliance on unpredictable rainfall. Most of the farmers are described as routinely experimenting with promising new technologies based on local ideas and indigenous knowledge and outside sources. Wealthier and more well-connected farmers tend to be the leaders in experiments. The formation of the Irrigation Committee in 1988 was also an important feature of the redesign and mobilization of local labor and resources process. External assistance provided the technical knowledge and capacity to repair the main canal. In 1993 and 1994 the government drafted a revised Agricultural Policy and reviewed irrigation policy specifically. This report recommends that governments focus on improving traditional smallholder irrigation schemes shift to a participatory approach to irrigation development strengthen local management of smallholder irrigation and improve information exchange between farmers.