CIRAN
The Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor is greatly
appreciated as an instrument for exchanging
information. We at CIRAN are therefore very pleased that
modern information technology is enabling us to
improve the Monitor's effectiveness by offering it in
electronic form on the Internet. Since February 1995,
the second issue of Volume 2 of the Monitor (September 1994)
has been available on-line via the
Consortium of International Earth Sciences Networks (CIESIN)
in Saginaw (Michigan, USA), and via the
University of Leiden (Leiden, The Netherlands). CIESIN is
publishing the Monitor in the CIESIN Kiosk,
which can be accessed through FTP Ciesin.org: Kiosk/Electronic
BkShelf/Newsletters/IK Monitor/IK
Monitor Sep'94. Leiden University, through LEAD, is publishing
the Monitor in OASIS, which can be
accessed through Gopher, The
Netherlands/Universities/University of Leiden/OASIS:
electronische
documenten/Institute of Cultural and Social Studies Research
IKDM/vol.2(2). Since we are still in the
exploratory phase, at the moment we can only present you with
the electronic version of one issue. All back
issues will be made available soon and we hope to make the
forthcoming issues electronically available as
well.
Unfortunately, access to the electronic versions will be
mainly a privilege of our readers in the North, until
the time that the South too is adequately equipped with the
required computer hardware and software. We
therefore hope that all efforts to strengthen the capacities
of the Indigenous Knowledge Resource Centres
will include making certain that they have access to
electronically available information. We invite you to
send us your suggestions regarding additional places from
which electronic versions of the Monitor could be
made accessible. Please send your suggestions to Ms Akke Tick,
P.O. Box 29777, 2502 LT The Hague,
The Netherlands. Tel: +31-70-4260324. Fax:
+31-70-4260329/4260399. E-mail:ikdm@nuffic.nl
In 1993 and 1994 CIRAN distributed the Monitor free of charge
to all its readers. We could afford free
distribution thanks to grants from IDRC in 1993, and Nuffic in
1993 and 1994. Nuffic subsidized the
Monitor for these years in order to help it get started. Now
the time has come to generate other income if
the future of the Monitor is to be guaranteed. In May 1994 we
sent a questionnaire to the readers. On the
basis of the findings, CIRAN from now on will charge a
subscription fee of Dfl 40.00 a year for Europe,
Japan, Australia and New Zealand; and US$ 27.00 a year for the
USA and Canada. The introduction of
paid subscriptions will affect only readers living in Northern
countries, who will receive a letter informing
them about the new subscription policy. To reduce the cost of
bank charges, CIKARD will collect the
subscription fees of readers in the US and Canada. CIRAN will
collect all other subscription fees (from
Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan). The income
generated through paid subscriptions will still not
cover the total costs of production, however. This is why we
are approaching various agencies to ask for
financial support for the Monitor. Our objective is not to
earn a profit, but to cover the costs.
Dr D.M. Warren, the director of CIKARD, stopped in on his way
back to the USA from Nigeria, and was
able to meet with the directors of LEAD and CIRAN. The main
item on their agenda was the financial
viability of the Monitor. Since paid subscriptions can never
cover the costs of producing and distributing the
Monitor, additional income is needed. Various options were
discussed, including grants from donor
agencies, and funds for specific purposes.
Ms Jeanette Gurung of the International Centre for Integrated
Mountain Development (ICIMOD), based in
Kathmandu, Nepal, visited CIRAN in The Hague in March. Ms
Gurung, a forester by profession, edited
the proceedings of a
MacArthur Foundation/ICIMOD seminar
entitled 'Indigenous knowledge systems and biodiversity
management', which was held from 13 to 15
April 1994 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Ms Gurung was briefed by the
director of CIRAN on the centre's
activities. Together they explored possibilities for
cooperation that would support ICIMOD's role as the hub
of IK-networking for the participating countries of the
Hindu-Kush-Himalayan region (Afghanistan, Bhutan,
India, Nepal, Bangladesh, China, Myanmar and Pakistan).
The International Plant Protection Society will hold its 13th
annual congress from 2 to 7 July 1995. CIRAN
has been invited to serve as a co-convener of the symposium on
'Indigenous knowledge', which will concentrate mainly on
indigenous plant protection.
Experts from Brazil, Chile, Indonesia, India, Nepal, The
Philippines, Ethiopia, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon,
the United Kingdom and the USA have been invited to present
case studies and discuss regional
variations.
The director of CIRAN took part in a workshop in Amsterdam
(6-7 March) to formulate 'sustainable
development indicators' that could be incorporated into the
Bhutanese government's next Five-Year Plan
(for the period starting in July 1997). The workshop took
place within the framework of bilateral
agreements that the government of the Netherlands has signed
with the governments of Bhutan, Costa Rica
and Benin as a result of UNCED 1992. During the workshop the
Bhutanese delegation acknowledged that
local specific knowledge and local institutions should be
taken into account in planning for ecologically
sound socio-economic development. As yet, however, there are
no instruments or mechanisms available to
implement this idea. A Bhutanese indigenous knowledge resource
centre could be instrumental in this
process, but as yet no such centre has been established.
Mr Polat of INDISCO visited CIRAN on March 21st. He briefed
Guus von Liebenstein, director CIRAN
and Ms Akke Tick on the progress of various INDISCO projects.
He also informed them on the results of
the conference in Chiang
Mai.
Centre for Traditional Knowledge
The Centre was established as a federally
incorporated international, not-for-profit foundation in
June 1994. It evolved from a programme of activities carried
out by the Canadian national committee for
the UNESCO programme known as Man and the Biosphere
(Canada/Mab). The Centre is based at the
Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Canada.
The work of the Centre is based on the premise that, when
traditional ecological knowledge (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.
The goal of the Centre for Traditional Knowledge is to promote
and advance the recognition, understanding
and use of TEK around the world in policy and decision-making
for sustainable development.
The specific objectives are:
LEAD
Ms C. Kabuye and Mr P. Maundu from KENRIK, and drs Subiarto
Martono and drs Opan S.
Suwartapradja from INRIK, visited Leiden University in order
to participate in a four-week course on
indigenous knowledge systems and research methodology. Their
visit was part of the preparation for
comparative pilot studies that will be conducted in Kenya and
Indonesia in connection with a project entitled
'Indigenous knowledge systems for sustainable agriculture in
developing countries: towards an alternative
approach to food shortage reduction in Kenya and Indonesia'.
This project is funded by the European
Commission.
In February 1995, participants in the LEAD programme received
training at the Mediterranean Agronomic
Institute of Chania (MAICH), on Crete. Their training
programme dealt with
ethnobotany/ethnopharmacology, conservation methods, and range
ecology and production. Presentations
were given by all the departments of MAICH: Natural Products,
Environmental and Renewable Resources,
and Rural Economics and Development.
The result of all these courses was that the design was
finalized for the comparative pilot studies on
indigenous agricultural knowledge systems which will be
carried out in the Kitui district of Kenya, and the
Mount Halimun area of Indonesia, from March to June 1995. The
pilot studies are the final field
preparation (explorative and descriptive) for the main
comparative anthropological/ethnoscientific and
agro-ecological research envisaged for the second half of
1995.
On Monday, 6 March 1995, a concluding workshop took place at
Leiden University. All course participants
presented papers on the theme 'Indigenous agricultural
knowledge systems and sustainable development'.
After the papers are edited they will be published as workshop
proceedings in a separate volume of the
series Studies in Indigenous Knowledge Systems Research and
Development. Meanwhile, the bibliography
on indigenous agricultural knowledge systems (INDAKS), which
contains some 2000 titles of books, articles
and reports, is currently in press. It too will be published
as a volume in the Leiden University series
Studies in Indigenous Knowledge Systems Research and
Development.
REPPIKA
Dr Evelyn Mathias of Reppika conducted two sessions on
indigenous knowledge and home gardens that
were part of a course entitled 'Household food security
through home gardening'. The course was given at
the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR)
from 21 November to 10 December 1994.
IIRR's manual for the recording and use of indigenous
knowledge in development is in progress. The
workshop for preparing it, which was announced in
Indigenous Knowledge and Development
Monitor 2(2):25, was held at the IIRR
headquarters in Silang (The Philippines) on
12-13 December 1994. It was organized by Reppika in close
collaboration with IIRR's communication
division.
Some 25 IIRR staff members came together. They had written
drafts of 45 papers. These will occupy about
two-thirds of the manual, alongside guidelines regarding style
and other information that had been prepared
and circulated prior to the workshop. Fourteen of the papers
were presented and discussed during the
workshop.
Evelyn Mathias is presently editing all the papers, and is in
contact with the authors of outstanding
contributions. The manual will consist of a general
introduction to IK and to the methods for recording and
assessing IK in the context of community work; case studies
that demonstrate how IK can be used in
development; guidelines for questionnaires on various
subjects; and a reference section. IIRR hopes to
publish the manual by the middle of this year.
In January and February, Evelyn Mathias spent about ten days
in Indonesia. Invited by the International
Potato Center in Bogor, she attended the 'International workshop on
indigenous knowledge in the conservation of crop genetic
resources', held in Cisarua (Indonesia)
from 30 January to 3 February 1995. Dr Mathias presented a
paper entitled 'Recording indigenous
knowledge: an overview' and moderated a session in which case
studies of germplasm and IK
documentation were presented. After the workshop, she visited
organizations in Bogor and Jakarta and gave
a seminar on traditional veterinary medicine at the veterinary
faculty of the Bogor Agricultural University.
BURCIK
The coordinator of BURCIK is trying to change the
institutional position of BURCIK. At the
moment BURCIK is a part of a smaller institute called IRSSH.
Dr Dialla is trying to make BURCIK an
autonomous institution within the CNRST.
KENRIK
The centre continues to receive requests from people who want
to be on the mailing list for its network. The
list has about 200 members so far, but the exchange of
information between them has not begun since the
centre does not yet have an appropriate medium.
The Indigenous Agricultural Knowledge Systems project, on
which KENRIK, LEAD, INRIK and MAICH
are collaborating, is gaining momentum. A preliminary
bibliography has been prepared for the project and
fieldwork is scheduled to start in March 1995.
MARECIK
The mission of MARECIK is to record, document and preserve the
Maasai traditional indigenous knowledge
that bridges the past, the present and the future. Research
involves the systematic collection and
documentation of both materials and information related to
local (ethno)science and technology. The body of
local knowledge with which the Maasai define the
socio-economic, ecological and cosmological situation
associated with plant, people and animal species is also
relevant. This information is needed for mounting
participatory, adaptable and sustainable approaches to
improving the Maasai standard of living through
research and development.
MARECIK's objectives are:
RIDSCA
In 1994 the Colegio de Postgraduados en Ciencias Agricolas
made several organizational changes. One is
that the CEICADAR has been transformed into 'Campus Puebla',
in which RIDSCA will continue to
function as a documentation unit.
The most important activities related to IKS that RIDSCA has
to report are the regional exhibitions on local
varieties and technologies, and the publication of the
proceedings of the first International Symposium on
Sustainable Agriculture.
The regional exhibitions were held in the states of Chiapas,
Oaxaca, Michoacan and Puebla. More than 500
people attended the sixth regional exhibition in Puebla, which
continues to be the main show. For the year
1995, a seminar is planned on the subject of indigenous
knowledge and technologies. Farmers will
themselves document their knowledge and experience.
Researchers and academic staff will be allowed to
attend the seminar, but only farmers will be speakers. Before
the seminar, farmers will be given essential
training in how to document their experiences. The seminar
will be planned, conducted and evaluated by
farmers, with help from the RIDSCA staff.
The central theme of the first International
Symposium on Sustainable Agriculture, held in December
1993, was 'The importance and
contribution of traditional agriculture'. The proceedings of
this symposium are now published and available.
They include 13 papers from Mexico, Latin America, Asia and
the USA, plus 40 of the 70 papers that were
presented at the national conference. The cost of the
proceedings is US$ 15.00, plus shipping and handling.
If you are interested, please contact: Dra. Ma. de Lourdes de
la I. de Bauer, Colegio de Postgraduados,
Montecillo, Edo. de Mexico, Km. 35.5, Carretera
Mexico-Texcoco, Mexico. Tel/fax: +52-595-
45933.
Studies on technologies for local agriculture, including
livestock and fruit production, were carried out
within the Rural Development Program for Indigenous Zones in
the State of Puebla. The production of
corn, beans, fruit, goats and other species were covered.
Other studies related to traditional knowledge were
directed towards medicinal plants, animal traction in peasant
agriculture, and farmers' experiences with
small-scale irrigation. For their authors, these studies
resulted in master's degrees in ethnobotany, soil
science and hydrology.
The Rural Women and Family Program has continued to produce
documentation of what women know and
have experienced in connection with rural development.
Activity within women's groups has increased, and
a master's degree is now offered in Rural Development, with a
specialization in Gender and
Development.
Up to now, activities had been oriented to the institutional
level. The challenge for RIDSCA and the
Campus Puebla, and a top priority in 1995, is to promote a
network in Mexico on indigenous knowledge
systems.
SARCIK
The Hans Snyckers Institute, situated within the Faculty of
Medicine at the University of Pretoria, has
provided SARCIK with access to its database on the edible
plants, traditional healing, medicinal plants,
traditional medicine and toxic plants unique to South Africa.
SARCIK now also has a full listing of the
database's content. In addition, SARCIK is engaged in
searching for sites on the INTERNET that offer data
and possibilities for contact. For purposes of easy 'home'
access, SARCIK maintains an up-to-date database
of sources of knowledge relevant to South Africa. The database
collection consists of references to
published and unpublished works on indigenous knowledge in
South Africa.
SARCIK, with the cooperation of the South African Human
Sciences Research Council, is currently editing
and preparing for publication papers that were written for the
Indaba
on 'Indigenous knowledge' which was held on 24 November
1994. Some of these papers were
presented, and some were accepted for publication but not
presented. Publication of the book is expected
later this year.
SARCIK's networking function has been greatly facilitated by
its new capability on the Internet. In addition
to answering enquiries by conventional mail and fax, SARCIK is
now able to answer enquiries electronically
and to provide a general referral service, helping persons and
institutions to come into contact with others
who share the same general or specialized interests in
indigenous knowledge.
Together with the Traditional Medicine Programme of the School
of Medicine at the University of Cape
Town, SARCIK is drafting a proposal to set up a resource
centre for traditional healers in Cape Town. The
centre would train them to document their uses of medicinal
plants and their techniques for healing. These
new skills would 'empower' the healers.
SARCIK is also assisting in a programme aimed at contacting
the traditional leaders of the remaining Khoi-
san communities in order to promote a meeting of the remaining
Nama, Namaqua, Outeniqua and Griqua
peoples. At this meeting these peoples would discuss the
preservation of their cultures, languages and
traditional practices. SARCIK staff members recently visited
the Nama villages of Kuboes and Steinkopf, in
Namaqualand in the North Western Cape, close to the border
with Namibia. They were accompanied by a
descendent of a traditional Outeniqua leader, who is also a
director of the Institute for Indigenous Theory
and Practice.
To the best of its ability, SARCIK is helping anyone who is
interested in indigenous knowledge to establish
relationships within South Africa's research community. This
means advising them regarding sources of
funding, and promoting cooperative ventures. On a limited
scale, SARCIK is also able to help them with
their programmes or research.
SLARCIK
SLARCIK is in the process of publishing the proceedings of the
international seminar 'Indigenous
knowledge and sustainable development'. The newsletter
'Thambapanni' will be published in due
course.
There was a good response to the questionnaire that was sent
out to various organizations and individuals to
elicit information. The SLARCIK directory will be prepared
now.
Several members of the Executive Council conducted a workshop
on 9 February 1995 in a remote village. It
included formal lectures, slide and video presentations, and
discussion. The participants were village
farmers. Later, some of the farmers' problems were dealt with
on site during a field visit. The workshop
was very successful. Another one of its kind is planned for
late March in another remote village.
Several members of the Executive Council took part in a radio
programme on indigenous knowledge. The
variety of subjects discussed included agriculture, veterinary
science, indigenous medicine and the potential
of indigenous techniques for present day development. The
radio programme will be broadcast over four
days.
SLARCIK's library is growing. It welcomes any information that
is available.
URURCIK
In the last three months URURCIK has been developing proposals
to secure resources from various sources.
This work has included planning meetings and library work. One
main area of interest involves proposals to
introduce soil conservation practices built upon the existing
indigenous (local) knowledge in Uruguay. Soil
erosion has always been a problem and the situation is
worsening in those areas with small farmers and
peasants. Ururcik is also exploring possible collaboration
with other organizations that share the same
interests and concerns. Already URURCIK is in touch with the
Versik coordinator, Dr Quiroz. If funds
permit, studies on the role of local knowledge in rural
development and extension will be undertaken and
joint activities initiated.
VERSIK
VERSIK has plans to initiate several projects in 1995. Funding
is still not available so any ideas regarding
possible donors for the projects described below are
welcome.
Soil and water resource management and conservation:
Building on indigenous expertise:
Local communities not only have extensive knowledge
of their environment, they are also
responsible for implementing conservation policy. The purpose
of this project is to develop and implement
strategies for soil and water resource management and
conservation, building on the indigenous expertise
already present, and improving on it where necessary through
the application of modern knowledge.
Biodiversity conservation and
enhancement:
There is a large body of evidence showing that in most
cultures and societies, indigenous rural people have
successfully cultivated and maintained high degrees of
biodiversity. The indigenous knowledge accumulated
by these populations as a means of survival constitutes a
reservoir of adaptations which is of great
importance for long-term sustainability. The purpose of this
project is to develop and implement strategies
for preserving and enhancing biodiversity, taking existing
indigenous knowledge as the basis.
Incorporation of IK components into formal educational
curricula:
If IK is to be conserved and developed in the communities that
possess it, the first step is to raise those
communities' awareness of its value. One way is by
incorporating elements of IK into the curricula of the
formal educational system. The purpose of this project is to
document IK case studies and develop
instructional materials that can be used in formal education
at different levels, from primary schools to
polytechnics and the institutes that train teachers and
extension workers.
A postgraduate course entitled 'Agricultural extension and
sustainable development' is planned as part of the
project. The purpose of the course is to equip extension
agents and other development workers, at
postgraduate level, with the knowledge and skills they need to
incorporate the study and application of IK
into projects aimed at sustainable development.
Gender and indigenous knowledge:
Although in many parts of the world women have traditionally
played a key role in long-term sustainability,
development efforts in general have typically not been
gender-sensitive. Women's knowledge and needs
have often being ignored. One implication of this is that much
indigenous ecological science that is
gender-based has not been recognized. The purpose of this
project is to look at the role played by gender in
general, and more specifically, to consider the role of
women's indigenous knowledge in the decision-
making regarding soil and water management, and the
conservation of biodiversity, that takes place within
the context of long-term programmes to bring about sustainable
development that would improve the living
conditions of women and of the community in general.
IK training workshops for extension agents and
development workers:
Although more and more people are beginning to recognize how
important indigenous knowledge can be to
the success of many kinds of development activities, the truth
is that many projects fail because extension
agents and development workers still tend to impose their own
knowledge on local people. This stems partly
from their own ignorance of indigenous knowledge, how
important it is, and how it can be collected and
used. The purpose of this project is to equip extension agents
and development workers with the necessary
tools for documenting, studying and applying IK in the context
of sustainable development projects.
Within this project, national and regional meetings are
planned. Their main purpose will be to increase the
capacities of people working on IK-related issues, at both
national and regional levels, through the sharing
of experiences and materials.
Creation of a regional IK documentation
centre:
Currently there are two major IK-related documentation centres
in the world: one at CIKARD (ISU-USA)
and the other at LEAD, the Netherlands). As yet there is no
such centre in Latin America. The purpose of
this project is to create a documentation centre which will
compile and share documents that originate in this
region (Latin America) and in other countries of the world.
These documents will be made available to
other users not only by traditional means--e.g., as written
documents or photocopies--but also electronically,
on the Internet, for example.
All of the above projects have as their initial focus the
Andean region of Venezuela, but depending on the
funding, they could be expanded to include other Latin
American countries, such as Colombia, Peru,
Bolivia, Uruguay and Brazil.
Please see for the addresses of the various centres: Addresses
IK Resource centres.