CIKARD
Several CIKARD associates have been honoured over the
past few months. Dr. B. Rajesekaran received the Past
President's Award for the best student paper presented at the
Association for International Agricultural and Extension
Education in Washington, D.C.. The paper was entitled 'A
framework for incorporating Indigenous Knowledge Systems into
agricultural extension organizations for sustainable
agricultural development in India'. Dr. Rajesekaran received
Iowa State University's coveted Research Excellence Award for
his doctoral dissertation in the agricultural education
department: "A framework for incorporating Indigenous
Knowledge Systems into agricultural research and extension
organisations for sustained food production in India." Dr.
Rajasekaran will remain at CIKARD next year on a post-doctoral
position. CIKARD associate Leanna Lamola has completed her law
degree at Drake University Law School, continues her writing
on indigenous knowledge and intellectual property rights, and
will serve as an American Association for the Advancement of
Science (AAAS) intern at USAID for the next year. CIKARD
Associate Tracy Slaybaugh-Mitchell has completed her two
master's degrees, in Animal Science and International
Development Studies, is in the process of preparing the final
version of the annotated bibliography on indigenous approaches
to livestock breeding and management, and has accepted a one-
year development consultancy in Russia.
The 1993 annual CIKARD lectures took place in February with the theme 'Indigenous Knowledge and the UN International Year of Indigenous Peoples'. Primary speakers included Prof. Fikret Berkes, director of the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Manitoba (who spoke on indigenous natural resource management by aboriginal Canadians) and Ms. Jan Elliot, a Cherokee Indian who is editor of Indigenous Thought and associate editor of Agriculture and Human Values. Her talk was entitled 'Native American philosophy and world view: the basis of indigenous knowledge'.
USAID has funded the five-year University Development Linkages Project for four universities in Iowa with linkages to counterpart universities in Nigeria; this includes CIKARD at Iowa State University and the African Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge at the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research in Ibadan. One of the focal activity areas is the role of indigenous knowledge in sustainable approaches to development.
CIRAN
In February 1993 the first issue of 'Indigenous
Knowledge and Development Monitor' was released. Three
thousand copies were distributed within the international IK
network and among various institutions and development
organizations. An extra 1000 copies were printed in April
1993. We would need even more copies to match the great
interest shown in the field of indigenous knowledge and
development. Every day CIRAN receives requests from
individuals and institutions who are interested in obtaining
the Monitor. Unfortunately, budgetary constraints make it
impossible to reprint the issue a second time.
The first issue of the Monitor has been well received. From the reactions it is fair to conclude that (1) indigenous knowledge is indeed a field of fast-growing interest, and (2) the information disseminated through the Monitor is useful for academics, policy-makers and development practitioners who are interested in the contribution of indigenous knowlegde to sustainable development. The Monitor's worldwide circulation was one of the reasons the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Ottawa, Canada, asked CIRAN to publish the proceedings of the September 1992 Silang International Conference in a special Monitor issue.
The first two Monitor issues have been distributed free of charge. Monitor number 3, in October 1993, will also be free. In 1994, however, we will have to charge a subscription fee. We are now working on a strategy for the publication's future that will ensure its continuation while striking the proper balance between cost and benefit.
At the Silang conference CIRAN accepted the job of establishing a database on individuals and institutions working in the area of indigenous knowledge and development. The response to the questionnaire is overwhelming. Plans are to publish the information in the database in a directory that will contain approximately 2000 entries.
CIRAN is considering launching a pilot project in electronic networking within a couple of months. The project follows a two-track policy:
LEAD
At the centre for the Leiden Ethnosystems And Development
Programme (LEAD) of Leiden University, the following
activities are in progress:
REPPIKA
In the last three months Reppika has been doing 'groundwork',
such as planning meetings, library work, and getting the basic
funding proposal ready and submitted. The coordinator, Dr.
Evelyn Mathias-Mundy, attended several workshops. (See section
Communications, Conferences, under 'Workshop on indigenous upland
agroforestry'.)
BURCIK
In April 1993 a new department called 'Pratiques et
Savoir Paysans' (PSP) was created within the Institut de
Recherche en Sciences Social et Humain (IRSSH) of the
Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la
Recherce Scientifique (Direction General de la Recherche
Scientifique et Technologique). The primary mission of
Pratiques et Savoirs Paysans (Technical Indigenous Knowledge)
is to promote, strengthen and coordinate a national network of
Burkinabè researchers involved in indigenous knowledge
for sustainable development. The new department will also
function as the secretariat of the future Centre
Burkinabè de Recherche sur les Pratiques et Savoirs
Paysans, or Burkina Faso Resource Centre for Indigenous
Knowledge (BurRCIK). The director of the new centre is Dr.
Basga E. Dialla (IRSSH); he will be assisted by Mr. Eric D.
Mamboue (INADES-Formation).
INRIK
INRIK is still in the process of establishing a national IK
network in Indonesia. The members of this network are people
from various disciplines who are active in the field of
indigenous knowledge and development. INRIK organized a one-
day seminar (22nd February 1993) entitled 'Indigenous
Knowledge Systems in Environmental and Sustainable Development
in West Java'. The seminar dealt with the contributions of
traditional agriculture, traditional irrigation and local
peasant organizations to environmental and sustainable
development in West Java. The seminar was sponsored by the
Regional Government.
From February to May 1993, the 'Talun-Kebun System' was
studied in the southern Bandung area. The Talun-Kebun system
involves shifting cultivation in a man-made forest. The Talun
is a mixture of perennial trees, usually with an undergrowth
of a variety of annual plants. It gives the soil good
protection against the erosive forces of rain and is a genetic
resource as well. In the Talun, shifting cultivation is
practised by rotating a garden, called the 'Kebun', which
contains several cash crops. During the transition period
between the dry and the wet seasons people make clearings by
cutting bamboo and trees and by heavy pruning. The cycle of
rotation is about five years. The system has an economic as
well as biophysical function. High economic returns make the
system capable of carrying a high population density on a
sustainable basis.
The study was sponsored by the Institute of Education,
Research, and Human Resource Development (Lembaga Pendidikan,
Penelitian, dan Pengembangan Sumberdaya Manusia-LP3SM), a
private institute which is founded by university staff members
in Bandung. The full report of this study will be published in
the Indonesian language. Funds are still needed for the
publication of an English translation.
RIDSCA
The Sixth Regional Show of Local Seeds of Maize and Beans will
be held on 4 December in Puebla, Pue., Mexico. The purpose of
this show is to develop a new communication mechanism between
researchers and farmers. Researchers are helped to recognize,
retrieve and appraise peasant knowledge through the exhibition
of native seeds used by farmers in the production of maize and
beans.
This show has been held since 1988 and brings together some
500 farmers from different regions of Mexico, 150 technicians,
and 100 representatives of institutions. This year the
Regional Show will take place as part of the Third International Symposium
and Conference on Sustainable Agriculture. More
information on the Regional Show can be obtained from:
M.C. Francisco Escobedo and Antonio Macias-Lopez, Apartado
Postal 1-12, La Libertad, C.P. 72130 Puebla, Pue., Mexico.
Tel:+ 52-22-480088 or 480542. Fax: + 52-22-493995.
SARCIK
The South African Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge
(SARCIK) was established in May 1993. The Institute for
Indigenous Theory and Practice acts as the national
secretariat for SARCIK. The Institute has been involved in
researching and promoting indigenous knowledge and indigenous
helping within human services and communities since 1988.
SARCIK in conjunction with the Institute will combine its
contacts and expertise in establishing a national
documentation unit and a networking function for individuals
and institutions to form a more diverse IK base. The centre
will shortly be appointing a second Co-Director and in
conjunction with other interested individuals and
organizations will become increasingly involved in the
research and dissemination of IK.
SLARCIK
SLARCIK was founded in October 1992 by the geography
department of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda.
Its beginnings have been widely publicized in newspaper
articles and by circulating a SLARCIK brochure. As a result
SLARCIK has received a very positive response from various
organizations, individuals and state institutions. Some have
expressed willingness to collaborate with SLARCIK to help
achieve its objectives. At the moment, as its first activity,
SLARCIK is organizing a national symposium on
indigenous knowledge and sustainable development. The
syposium's purpose will be to review the current status of
indigenous knowledge systems in Sri Lanka, to identify
priority areas for research, and to mobilize interested
individuals and institutions in order to establish a national
network.
SLARCIK has made very good progress in its research activities. It has initiated an action-oriented participatory research project in collaboration with the Janasaviya Programme, the state-sponsored programme for 'strengthening the utilization of indigenous knowledge for poverty alleviation'. The objectives of this research project are (1) to collect and document IK and IK-based technologies which have income-generating potential, (2) to 'scientize' and further develop the IK and IK-based technologies that have been collected, and (3) to disseminate the improved IK and IK- based technologies for immediate use in the income-generating projects of the Janasaviya Programme. This project is being conducted in the Hambantota District, a remote area where the Janasaviya Programme has been underway since 1989.
Phase I of the project will involve identifying knowledgeable people; collecting, documenting, reviewing and correcting IK and IK-base technologies; and placing these in order of priority. Phase II will involve 'scientization', further development, dissemination and utilization. Phase I is being undertaken by a research team which consists of two graduate research assistants and three local people selected from the area. In Phase II, 'scientization' and further development of the prioritized IK-based technologies will be undertaken by a number of small research teams at the village level. Each team will consist of three or four knowledgeable local people and one or two scientists. The IK-based technologies that are developed will be made available to the Janasaviya Social Mobilization Programme for dissemination among the poor for purposes of poverty alleviation.
SLARCIK has drafted another research proposal for collecting and documenting IK related to sustainable agriculture in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. At the moment SIDA (Swedish International Development Agency) is considering funding this project. The Central Environmental Authority (CEA) of the Ministry of Environment has expressed its willingness to provide funds that will enable SLARCIK to undertake a survey, in collaboration with schoolchildren, on IK pertaining to natural resource management. At the moment, SLARCIK is writing a detailed proposal for the CEA.
VERSIK
The University of The Andes in Trujillo Sate, Venezuela, is
the host of the Venezuelan Resource Secretariat for Indigenous
Knowledge (VERSIK). It is attached to the Center for Tropical
Alternative Agriculture and Sustainable Development (CITADI).
VERSIK's main purpose is to facilitate the networking,
databanks, and training that are part of the IKS programme at
national and regional levels. SCAL is the acronym of CATASI's
IKS research project. SCAL's objective is to register and
study farmers' local (indigenous) knowledge systems and
incorporate them into rural development programmes. The
coordinator of VERSIK, Professor Consuelo Quiroz, would like
to come into contact with people who are working in similar
projects (i.e. with farmers' local knowledge, regardless of
whether or not the farmers belong to a separate ethnic group).
The aim would be to share experiences.