| Editorial
Networking for indigenous knowledge
D. Michael Warren, Guus W. von Liebenstein, L. Jan Slikkerveer
There is growing interest at national and international levels in the role that indigenous
knowledge plays in participatory approaches to development. Research is generating more
and more data showing the relevance of indigenous knowledge for sustainable development.
These data, however, must be systematically shared with fellow researchers and with
practitioners, and research efforts can be stepped up further. Active networking is needed
if we are to make the most of this still largely untapped resource.
Establishing a national IK resource centre: the case of PHIRCSDIK
Rogelio C. Serrano, Romeo V. Labios, Ly Tung
As the potential contribution of indigenous knowledge (IK) to development is increasingly
recognized, more and more national IK resource centres are being established worldwide.
The Philippine Resource Centre for Sustainable Development and Indigenous Knowledge
(PHIRCSDIK) is worth presenting as a model from which others could learn.
Using IK for agriculture and rural development: current issues
and studies D. Michael Warren
Developing countries have a valuable, but largely untapped, reservoir of indigenous
agricultural and natural resource experience and knowledge. Development planners and
policy makers are beginning to recognize the need to understand existing knowledge systems
and decision-making processes as they focus their attention on the role that small-scale
agricultural producers can play in achieving national food self-sufficiency. These systems
influence current farming practices and responses of the small-scale producers to
agricultural and natural resource policy initiatives and technological innovations.
Improving indigenous soil and water conservation techniques: does
it work? Chris Reij
In the last few years most people have come to agree that soil and water conservation
(SWC) projects in Africa have largely failed. If performance is to improve, there must be
new approaches. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD, a United
Nations agency) has been exploring new possibilities by designing programmes which begin
with indigenous techniques. The results look promising, as IFAD's programme in Niger
shows.
Contour hedgerow technology in the Philippines: not yet
sustainable S. Fujisaka, P.A. Cenas
Contour hedgerows are used for soil erosion control in hilly agricultural lands in Asia,
Africa, and Latin America. They have been introduced to farmers by development projects.
There is little evidence for the existence of traditional or indigenous forms of this
technology. A few farmers in the central Visayan region of the Philippines provide an
exception; they used contour hedgerows of grass and trees to control soil erosion. But
neither the traditional nor the introduced technology have proven successful. Farmers
eventually abandon the fields for a number of reasons: disturbance caused by grazing
animals, a need for fuelwood, and soil depletion, for example. The problems farmers
experience in using this technology, be it traditional or modern, should be addressed by
additional research.
Some observations on ethnoveterinary medicine in Northern
Nigeria Paul Leeflang
The Fulani are herdsmen of Northern Nigeria. For generations they have been moving their
cattle in an annual migration pattern in search of water. The tracks are chosen carefully,
however: tsetse-fly-infected areas are avoided. In his ten years of experience in
Nigeria's veterinary sector--part of this time as special officer in charge of eradicating
rinderpest--the author saw numerous examples of indigenousknowledge and practices that
will be useful for the future development of animal health and production.
Indigenous learning in crafts: a pilot research effort Adri Kater
In 1990/1991 the Centre for the Study of Education in Developing Countries (CESO) in The
Hague, and the Mountain People's Culture and Development Education (MPCDE) Foundation in
Chiengmai, Thailand, undertook a small research project in the field of indigenous
learning among the mountain peoples of Northern Thailand.
'Beyond Farmer First': research programme and workshop John
Thompson
Since the mid-1980s, the 'Farmer First' philosophy has gained widespread attention and
support from agencies and institutions around the world, enough to begin challenging the
conventional approaches to research and extension. This change in thinking has emphasized
the need to 'listen and learn from the people' and to make local people active partners in
the research and development process. Undoubtedly, these are steps in the right direction.
However, there is also criticism: 'naive populism', some people say. The International
Institute of Environment and Development (IIED) in London has been examining the
approach's strenghts and weaknesses in its research programme and a recent workshop.
Some prose on a database of indigenous knowledge on fish D. Pauly,
M.L.D. Palomares R. Froese
There are about 24.000 species of cartilaginous and bony fishes in the world. The
International Centre for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM) has started together
with the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to assemble and
standardize information on them.
Soil surveys and indigenous soil classification Joseph A. Tabor
Farmers and herders all over the world have developed land classification systems which
can provide useful insights into their farming and land tenure systems. These
classification systems also offer a useful vehicle for talking with villagers about
agricultural and land tenure issues. Anthropologists and geographers for some time have
documented that these systems exist. More recently, soil scientists have used them to
guide soil surveys. |
Indigenous Knowledge
General