Indigenous Knowledge and Development
Monitor, July 1998 Indigenous Knowledge and Development
Monitor, July 1998
Contents IK Monitor 6(2) | IKDM Homepage | Suggestions to: ikdm@nuffic.nl | (c) copyright Nuffic-CIRAN and contributors 1998.
The global IK Network, VERSIK and sustainable development, by Consuelo Quiroz
Consuelo Quiroz: Faculty member and researcher at the Agrarian Science Department, University of The Andes, Trujillo Campus (Venezuela); member of the Center for Tropical Alternative Agriculture and Sustainable Development (CATADI), and national coordinator of the Venezuelan Secretariat for the Promotion of Indigenous (Local) Knowledge for Sustainable Development (VERSIK).
It would be true to say that 1992 was an important year for all of us all over the world who are working in fields related to indigenous knowledge. In June, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) highlighted not only "the urgent need to develop mechanisms to protect the earth’s diversity", but also the need "to conserve the knowledge of the environment that is also being lost in many communities". In September there was the international symposium on Indigenous knowledge and sustainable development, funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Silang, Cavite (the Philippines). That meeting enabled us to share with people from different countries our experiences in the study, documentation and use of indigenous (local) knowledge (IK). For many of us it was also our first meeting with Dr D. Michael Warren, who died recently. This was the beginning of the global IK network and of our ‘IK family’. We at VERSIK are proud to be members of that great family.
This global network--in particular its journal, the Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor–has influenced all of us, faculty members, researchers, and development workers alike. Most of us live in relatively remote areas of developing countries which offer not only many advantages (proximity to nature, less pollution, beautiful countryside, peace and quiet, etc.), but also many constraints. As many of you know, it may be difficult to keep abreast of developments in our particular fields, and to keep in touch with other researchers and development workers, even within the same country, due to poor formal communication systems, the high cost of publications, the ‘dollarization’ of our economies, etc. This process becomes even more difficult when trying to communicate with other professionals and practitioners abroad.
In such a situation, the arrival of the Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor (IK&DM), which is free for people in the developing world, has been crucial for us, both professionally and personally. It has kept us up-to-date on developments in the field, current events, and professional organizations and publications, while offering us a means of publicizing our work, sharing experiences, and exchanging information. The IK&DM has been a platform for debate and a means of access to other networks. For example, in November 1996 we were pleasantly surprised to receive a visit from Dr Pablo Eyzaguirre, a senior scientist with the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) in Rome (Italy), who had read about the work of VERSIK in the IK&DM. Since then, VERSIK and IPGRI have established a mutually useful relationship. From the personal point of view, the Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor has served as a kind of mutual support system, a source of creative ideas, and a way of keeping in touch with friends. We sincerely hope that the necessary financial support will be forthcoming to ensure that people in the developing countries will continue to receive free of charge the valuable input which it provides.
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