Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor, 1993

Networks

WEDNET

The Women, Environment and Development Network (WEDNET) is an innovative research and information-sharing project launched by the Environment Liaison Centre International (ELCI) in 1989, with financial support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The project was formally launched with a meeting in Nyeri, Kenya, in June, 1989, which brought together researchers and specialists in information systems and communication for the purpose of working out common research methods and modalities for networking. The primary purpose of WEDNET's activities will be to document and gain recognition for women's indigenous knowledge, in both traditional and contemporary contexts, as part of the search for strategies which will halt Africa's environmental degradation and bring about sustainable development. The project leader for WEDNET is Dr. Shimwaayi Muntemba, Executive Director of ELCI. Contact: Ms. Rosemary Jommo, WEDNET ECLI Coordinator, Environment Liaison Centre, P.O. Box 72461, Nairobi, Kenya or: Dr. Bonnie Kettel, Canadian Coordinator for WEDNET, Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University, North York, Ontario, Canada M3J 1P3.

Honey Bee

Honey Bee is a global network for documenting, testing and exchanging information about indigenous ecological and technological innovations. The regions with the richest resources in terms of biological diversity and associated socio-ecological knowledge systems are also regions inhabited by some of the world's poorest people. The knowledge these people possess is their last source of potential strategic strength, and under the current political and economic circumstances they cannot afford to lose this resource. The Honey Bee network aims not only to document innovations generated by people in different parts of the world but also to lobby for the protection of their intellectual property rights. Such an enterprise will of course require strong links between formal and informal knowledge systems and between the East and the West. The philosophy behind the network is modelled after the honey bee, which collects pollen from flowers without impoverishing them and which links flower to flower, thus achieving cross fertilization. Honey Bee's newsletter is published in five languages so that what is learned can be shared with every innovator in his or her own language. A crucial aspect of the network is that it and its members are accountable to the people whose knowledge can provide sustainable alternatives for future agriculture. The network extends to 57 countries and seeks collaborators for publishing its findings in local languages. The membership fee is $30 for people from the developed world and from NGOs supported by foreign donors. People from developing countries may contribute in kind, i.e. with material describing local innovations or by sending their own publications on an exchange basis. Contact: Professor Anil K. Gupta, Honey Bee Centre for Management in Agriculture, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad-380015, India. Fax: +91-272-427896. E-mail: anilg@iimahd.ernet.in.

AFSRE

The Association for Farming Systems Research and Extension (AFSRE) is a global association, incorporated as a non-profit educational corporation in the Philippines. Its international membership is comprised of individuals and regional associations and networks around the world that are involved in research and other activities related to farming systems. By holding regular international symposia and publishing an international journal and newsletter, AFSRE seeks to strengthen regional organizations and activities and to promote and facilitate inter-regional cooperation and communication. The association is compiling a computerized database of networks interested in exchanging information relevant to farming systems research and extension. Dr. Clive Lightfoot, the association's board member for networking, wishes to come into contact with relevant networks. Contact: Dr. Clive Lightfoot, International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management, MC P.O. Box 1501, Makati, Metro Manila 1299, The Philippines.

TEK

UNESCO Canada/MAB is developing an international programme for traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). The programme is based on the premise that when TEK and western scientific knowledge are used in an appropriate and complementary fashion, the two knowledge systems provide a powerful tool for managing natural resources and achieving sustainable development. A quarterly newsletter TEK TALK is being published; subscriptions cost US$ 18.00 a year and can be paid for by cheque or money order. Three workshops on TEK were held in October of last year. The topics were: * TEK and information technologies; * TEK and biodiversity; * TEK and environmental assessment. The workshop on information technologies was designed to provide indigenous peoples and specialists from Canada with an opporunity for sharing experiences with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and 'Desktop Mapping'. The workshop on biodiversity focused on the Biodiversity Convention, specifically from the point of view of indigenous communities. The workshop on environmental assessment reached the conclusions that communications with indigenous peoples must improve, and that a bottom-up process is essential. Governments and institutions must learn to communicate effectively with indigenous communities; a team approach involving government and indigenous organizations is the most effective way to work. Contact: Julian T. Inglis, UNESCO Canada/MAB, 99 Metcalfe Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1P5V8.

The Sustainable Development Network (SDN)

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is making good progress in establishing a Sustainable Development Network (SDN). This activity is a follow-up to the 1992 UN Conference for Environment and Development, when UNDP was given the mandate to serve as the lead agency for capacity-building. The purpose of the network is to link the sources and users of information on sustainable development at the national level--in government, at research institutes and universities, in non-governmental organizations, in other aid agencies, and among private enterprises. SDN's main instruments are user-friendly, low-cost, demand-driven databases which are accessible to both users and suppliers of information related to sustainable development. Special attention will be given to local indigenous knowledge and to the transfer and sharing of technology. Linking national SDNs into a global system will provide access to a worldwide base of knowledge and will allow practitioners of sustainable development around the world to communicate freely with one another. The initial $1.5 million grant for the pilot programme has been fully committed. By next June, 13 national and three regional SDNs will have been established, giving 20 to 25 governments access to SDNs. Feasibility and pre-feasibility studies will be conducted over the next six months in more countries so that by the end of 1993 as many as 50 governments are expected to be linked to the network. The main SDN will thus have begun acting as a network of networks. UNDP provides grants for hiring SDN staff, acquiring hardware and software, and offering training. Since the links between national SDNs are so important, great care is being taken to select compatible hardware and software. UNDP has secured the assistance of the International Development Research Center (IDRC), based in Ottawa, Canada, which will help to designate a starter kit for each country. Care is also being taken that each SDN is equipped to establish on-line contact with the many databases and networks already established by other UN agencies. At the national level the focus initially will be on building up a database of all relevant technical and socio-economic activities in the country in question, whether nationally or externally funded. SDN's director, Chuck Lankester, estimates that as much as 75-85% of this information is presently unavailable to decision-makers in most developing countries. Contact: Chuck Lankester, Director SDN, UNDP, Division of Global and Interregional Programmes, One United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA. Tel: +1-212-906 5000. Fax: +1-212-906 6952.

ILEIA

ILEIA, Information Centre for Low-External-Input and Sustainable Agriculture, is presently evaluating its efforts to make this type of agriculture (LEISA) more widely known and accepted as a valid approach in areas not suited to agriculture that relies heavily on external inputs. These efforts include the publication of a quarterly newsletter, ILEIA Newsletter, for sharing experiences, the organisation of workshops to gain better understanding of certain aspects of LEISA, and support for regional LEISA information networks in the tropics. ILEIA also has a library containing over 3000 documents on the subject. One conclusion of the evaluation is that there is a growing demand for more, and more specific, information. The themes planned for newsletters in 1993 include 'Cutting back on chemicals', 'After the harvest', and 'How can LEISA alleviate poverty?'. A regional workshop will be conducted on the subject of establishing local exchanges of information. Workshop topics will include how to document farmers' experiences, how to gather and assess information from external sources, how to 'translate' and disseminate this information, and how to make sure that feedback from farmers is integrated into the process. As a follow-up to a workshop held last March under the title 'Networking for LEISA', a book will be published containing articles on the regional, local and global networking experiences of farmers, NGOs and researchers. Contact: ILEIA, c/o ETC Foundation, P.O. Box 64, 3830 AB Leusden, The Netherlands. Tel: +31-33-943086. Fax: +31-33- 940791.

IASCP

The International Association for the Study of Common Property (IASCP) is a scholarly organization devoted to understanding and improving the management of environmental resources that are held or used collectively by communities, whether in developing or developed countries. The Association represents interdisciplinary approaches in area studies all over the world and in all resource sectors. The Common Property Resource Digest is a newsletter in this field. Contact: Fenton Martin, Secretary-Treasurer IASCP, Workshop in Political Theory & Policy Analysis, 513 North Park, Bloomington, Indiana 47405-3186, USA. Tel: +1-812-855-3851. Fax: +1-812-8.55-3150

IFOAM

The International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM) unites the efforts of its members to promote organic agriculture as a method of food production that is ecologically sound and sustainable, minimizing both environmental pollution and the use of non-renewable natural resources. An international IFOAM conference is held every two years. Recently IFOAM launched a new journal: Ecology and Farming. Membership in the federation is open to associations of producers, processors, traders and consultants as well as to institutions involved in research, training and information. Contact: IFOAM, Oekozentrum Imsbach, D-6695 Tholey-Theley, Federal Republic of Germany. Tel: +49-6853-5190. Fax: +49- 6853-30110.

Arctic to Amazonia Alliance

The Arctic to Amazonia Alliance is a non-profit educational organization which fosters better communication and understanding between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples, particularly regarding human rights, social justice, economics and the environment. The Alliance has scheduled a conference for late spring 1993 under the title 'Seeds of hope'. Concrete examples of successful and sustainable economic and environmental strategies will be presented. Contact: Arctic to Amazonia Alliance, P.O. Box 73, Strafford, VT 05072 USA.

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