Charles R. Peters, Eileen M. O'Brien and Robert B. Drummond 1992 Edible wild plants of sub-
saharan Africa. pp. 239. ISBN 0-947643-51-6. œ15.00. The Kew shop, Royal Botanic Gardens,
Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, UK.
This annotated checklist records the indigenous wild plants used for food by humans in sub-Saharan Africa
as well as species eaten by baboons and chimpanzees. The book concentrates on the woodland and grassland
floras of eastern and southern Africa. Over 2,000 plant taxa are listed and where possible their names used
have been checked against current botanical usage. Synonyms, if appropriate, are given and for each taxon,
the plant part used is described. Each record is linked to the original reference and the consumer (human,
baboon, chimpanzee) is listed. A separate list of parts eaten by each consumer is also provided.
Reint J. Bakema (ed) 1994 Local level institutional development for sustainable land
use. pp. 64. ISBN 90-6832-814-X. Dfl. 15.00. Royal Tropical Institute, KIT Press, Mauritskade
63, 1092 AD Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Sustainable environmental management depends strongly on development of adequate mechanisms for
organizing, decision making and implementation at local levels: low and intermediate level institutional
development based on traditional and/or new institutions may present the necessary results. Village land
management (an integrated, participatory approach involving villagers in the management of their own
territory) is seen as the way forward. Among the constraints in this approach is the need to re-orientate
extension services and to gain the support of various administrative levels. The different chapters in this
book explore the evolution of intervention strategies towards more local management of natural resources
and the many practical issues involved.
Jan-Olof Lundberg and Karin von Schlebrügge (eds) 1993 People's Management: People's
management of natural resources and the environment; Voices from a workshop. SAREC, P.O.
Box 16140, 10323 Stockholm, Sweden. Fax: +46-8-7912199.
Almost all documents prepared before and after the UN conference on environment and development stress
the necessity of directing people towards becoming active participants in the management of natural
resources. In this connection many questions are raised regarding the support to development research. To
analyze these questions SAREC convened a research workshop in September 1992. This booklet contains
interviews with some delegates. 'Joint management of forests', 'Local people know', 'Don't overlook local
knowledge', 'Problems have to be identified locally', 'International co-operation between NGOs', 'Local
control, management and development' are the titles of the various interviews.
Devika Tamang 1993 Living in a Fragile Ecosystem: Indigenous Soil Management in the Hills of
Nepal. pp. 23. œ2.50. International Institute for Environment and Development Sustainable
Agriculture Programme Gatekeeper Series No. 41, 3 Endsleigh Street, London WC1H ODD, UK.
Tamang is a programme officer at the Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development in
Kathmandu. She discovered that Nepalese farmers view 'soil fertility as one of the major components in the
regime of soil management. From their perspective, water, fertility and labour management are
interdependent, interactive and inseparable components of soil management.'
IDRC Reports 21(1) 1993 is a special issue on 'Indigenous and traditional knowledge'
with articles entitled 'Knowledge, change and the preservation of progress', 'Indigenous peoples test the
waters', 'The knowledge path from Cree to Mapuche', 'Recognizing traditional environmental knowledge',
and 'Threads of common knowledge'. Subscriptions to IDRC Reports are available at CA$16 for four
issues. Single copies are available free of charge to selected groups in developing countries.
Contact: Distribution service, Corporate affairs and initiatives division, IDRC, P.O. Box
8500, Ottawa, Canada K1G 3H9.
Peter Goering, Helena Norberg-Hodge and John Page 1993 From the ground up: Rethinking
industrial agriculture. pp. 120. œ29.95/US$49.95 hb and œ10.95/US$17.50 pb. It is published in
association with the International Society for Ecology and Culture by ZED Books, 7 Cynthia Street, London
N1 9JF, UK.
This book contains sections on local knowledge in which the authors urge us 'to look at the agricultural
practices of traditional societies, which represent the only models of sustainable agriculture that exist. The
principles embodied in these long-lived systems--diversity, holism, and local adaptation--are the antithesis of
industrial principles, but are the foundation for an ecologically-sound agriculture.'
World Watch 7(1) 1994 has an excellent article by Derek Dennison entitled
'Defending the Land with Maps', pp. 27-31, in which he describes how 'Indigenous peoples have often lost
their land because they couldn't 'prove' they owned it. But two projects demonstrate that by making maps,
they can help to defend their ancient rights against the incursions of newcomers.'
Subscriptions to World Watch are available at US$15/year for six issues through the Worldwatch Institute,
P.O. Box 6991, Syracuse, NY 13217-9942, USA.
Derek Dennison can be contacted through Native Lands, 1101 North Highland Street, Suite 411, Arlington,
VA 22201, USA.
The Technology and Social Change Programme of Iowa State University is
publishing monographs and bibliographies in their series 'Studies in technology and social change'.
Two new studies are:
Constance M. McCorkle 1994 Farmer innovation in Niger pp. 52. ISBN 0-945271-
33-6. US$ 7.00 (US$ 5.00 on diskette) Postage US$ 2.00 (USA) and US$ 3.00 (outside USA).
This monograph describes in detail the indigenous agricultural research and extension system that parallel
the formal system supported by the government of Niger. The study provides examples of the types of
indigenous agricultural experimentation that exists within the small scale farming systems. It also describes
how the farmers evaluate and disseminate the results of their efforts to address agricultural problems they
have identified.
B. Rajasekaran 1994 A framework for incorporating indigenous knowledge systems into
agricultural research, extension and NGOs for sustainable agricultural development pp. 54.
ISBN 0-945271-32-8. US$ 7.00 (US$ 5.00 on diskette) Postage US$ 2.00 (USA) and US$ 3.00 (outside
USA).
This monograph provides the analytical framework for utilizing indigenous agricultural knowledge systems
in ways that facilitate agricultural development in a sustainable way.
Orders can be placed with CIKARD, 318 Curtiss Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
50011, USA. Tel: +1-515-2940938. Fax: +1-515-2946058. E-mail: dmwarren@iastate.edu Checks in US$
should be made payable to Iowa State University. A list of publications is available on request.
Hal Mettrick 1993 Development oriented research in agriculture: an ICRA textbook.
pp. 291. ISBN 90-73041-16-3 hb.
This book arises from ten years experience of ICRA in teaching a course on development oriented research.
The ICRA course is practical, combining theoretical teaching with a period of intensive fieldwork in
interdisciplinary, multi-cultural teams. The topics covered in this book are the role of development oriented
research, mobilizing indigenous knowledge, planning research programmes and projects, different
approaches for the study of farming systems, methods for surveys, data collection and data analysis,
etc.
The book can be ordered free of charge for people from APC-countries by: CTA, P.O. Box 380, 6700 AJ
Wageningen, The Netherlands. Others can order it (Dfl. 50.00 including postage) from the International
Centre for development oriented Research in Agriculture (ICRA), P.O. Box 88, 6700 AB Wageningen, The
Netherlands.
W.C. Clarke and R.R. Thaman (eds) 1993 Agro-forestry in the Pacific Islands: Systems for
sustainability. pp. 297. ISBN 92-808-0824-9. United Nations University Press, The United
Nations University, 53-70 Jingumae 5-chome, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150, Japan.
The book is the result of extensive field research on agro-forestry systems in the Pacific Island. It describes
the diverse traditional agroforestry systems that have evolved over thousands of years in the region. The
book shows how these systems and their component trees have contributed to environmental stability. It
argues for protecting and using the existing systems and trees in current forestry, agricultural and
agroforestry projects, rather than replacing them with introduced systems and plants or allowing them to
deteriorate because of commercial pressures or ignorance. The book is also notable for its extensive
bibliography.
Doris M. Schoenhoff 1993 The barefoot expert: The interface of computerized knowledge
systems and indigenous knowledge systems. Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, P.O. Box
5007, Westport, CT 06881-5007, USA. Tel: +1-203-226 3571. Fax: +1-203-222 1502.
Ms. Schoenhoff critically examines the--historically and culturally--conditioned values embedded in
computer technology transferred to developing countries, particularly in the creation of 'expert systems'. As
she writes, 'To realize what is at stake in importing knowledge-based technology into the Third World
requires at least some understanding of what knowledge really is and how knowledge that is symbolically
represented in one language and culture is translated into another language and culture. If their intention is
genuinely to empower the poor in their nations, Third World decision makers cannot avoid this deeper look
into expert systems and the larger implications of its use.' Her emphasis is on participation by end users in
the design of expert systems, and the need to incorporate indigenous forms of knowledge in order to adjust
the technology for locally appropriate forms. (INDKNOW, 14 November 1993)