Indigenous Knowledge and
Development Monitor, July 1999 Indigenous Knowledge and
Development Monitor, July 1999
Contents IK Monitor (7-2) | IKDM Homepage | Suggestions to: ikdm@nuffic.nl | © copyright Nuffic-CIRAN and contributors 1999.
Protection of plant genetic resources:
Developing regulations on IPR, access and benefit-sharing
Nairobi (Kenya)
13-15 July 1999
This national workshop is being organized by the Plant Genetic Resources Working Group
(PGRWG) together with the Access and Benefit-Sharing Expert Working Group, under the aegis
of National Museums of Kenya. The workshop will bring together national and international
stakeholders and provide a forum to address the status and development of pertinent issues
in plant genetic resources research and conservation in Kenya. It expects to tap
nationally, regional and international resources, in order to facilitate the future
collection of plant genetic resources and exchanges with external partners, as well as to
ensure the fair and equitable sharing of potential benefits arising from the use of these
resources.
A report of the workshop will be published in the next issue of the Indigenous Knowledge and
Development Monitor.
For more information, please contact: Dr Rashid Aman, Chairman, or: B.M
Kamondo, Secretariat Officer, Plant Genetic Resources Working Group, c/o National Museums
of Kenya, P.O. Box 40658, Nairobi, Kenya.
Tel: +254-2-742161-4; 742131-4.
Fax: +254-2-741 424.
E-mail: nmk@africaOnline.co.ke
Empowering farmers through animal traction
Mpumalanga (South Africa)
20-24 September 1999
ATNESA (Animal Traction Network for Eastern and Southern Africa), in cooperation with
SANAT (South African Network of Animal Traction), is holding an international workshop for
anyone interested in the use of animals to supply direct energy. It will be the third
ATNESA workshop to be held in the Republic of South Africa. The theme 'Empowering farmers
through animal traction' has been chosen to help regional scientists to make strategic
plans for the 21 st century. (See also IK&DM 7(1),
March 1999. A call for papers for this conference was published on p. 24.)
The aim of the workshop is to bring together farmers and specialists who are involved in
training, research, policy-making, development and extension to discuss animal traction,
and:
- to review what has been said and written in recent years about animal traction and about
the attempts that have been made to encourage its use;
- to review existing animal traction technologies (harnesses, carts, equipment, etc.) and
management systems (selection, feeding, husbandry, etc.), and to examine the
socio-economic issues (profitability, gender, cultural issues) and environmental
implications associated with animal traction;
- to analyse the need to improve both the technologies and the image of animal traction in
the region;
- to propose ways that farmers and entrepreneurs can be empowered to improve productivity
using animal traction in a sustainable way.
For more information, please contact:
Mr Bruce Joubert, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Fort Hare, P/Bag X1314 Alice 5700,
South Africa.
Tel.: +27-4060-22 085/22 125.
Fax: +27-4065-31 730.
E-mail: Sanat@ufhcc.ufh.ac.za
Oral tradition as critical resource for interdisciplinary approaches to development
Mysore (India)
24-25 September 1999
Fifty years of development efforts in India, mainly in rural areas, have produced
numerous reports of target groups responding differently to the same intervention. Apart
from a few success stories, many projects lack social sustainability. Once the agents of
change leave the field, the target groups gradually fall back to their old practices. The
latest answer to this lack of sustainability has been 'people's participation.' But this
remains a solution at the empirical level; it does not go beyond the practices to address
the underlying concepts on which they are based. It is time that we question the gap
between these concepts and the concepts that underlie the sciences. The predominant image
of science supposes a fundamental opposition between the trained eye of 'the expert' and
the blinkered eye of the person 'deprived of expertise'. The community of professional
scientists considers itself solely qualified to define the validity and relevance of
concepts and to decide upon methods. Ordinary people are expected to contribute only the
data they have at hand. Processing that data, generating knowledge, and testing results
are the privilege of the academic class. This situation is particularly detrimental in the
case of research in the fields of development studies, social transformation, cultural
anthropology, and folklore studies. It is impossible, for example, to conduct a fully
relevant study of oral traditions and the role they play in social processes and
development if the people who nurture those oral traditions are not themselves directly
involved in the investigation and analysis.
A conference related to this subject is being organized by the Centre for Advanced
Research on Indigenous Knowledge Systems (CARIKS) in Mysore, in collaboration with the
Centre for Cooperative Research in Social Sciences (CCRSS) in Pune. There will be three
main topics of discussion:
- links between oral tradition and development projects;
- critical analysis of oral tradition in light of specific development issues;
- research methodology.
The inaugural address will be delivered by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of
Mysore. The key speakers will include Professor M.N. Srinivas ('Anthro-pology and oral
tradition') and Dr Kapila Vatsysyan ('Indigenous knowledge, oral tradition and social
sciences'). International participants who have been invited include Professor
Karim-Aly-S. Kassam (Canada), Dr Bernard Bel (France), Mr Alex Cisilin (Italy), and Mr
Goetz Hoeppe (Germany). Some 15 Indian professors currently working abroad have also been
invited.
For more information, please contact: CARIKS, P.O. Box 1, Saraswathipuram, Mysore
-570 009, India.
Tel.:+91-821-542 467.
Fax: +91-821-542 459.
E-mail: cariks@bgl.vsnl.net.in
http://iias.leidenuniv.nl/host/ccrss/sep99ws.htm
Agroecology and soil/ crop management among indigenous cultures
Salt Lake City (USA)
1 November 1999
A symposium on indigenous agricultural knowledge of traditional peoples will be held
during the 1999 annual meetings of the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science
Society of America (CSSA), and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA). A main component of
this one-day symposium is to present studies that scientifically document traditional
knowledge of crops, soils, and agricultural management. Related themes include indigenous
knowledge as a resource, conservation of agricultural and biological diversity,
sustainability in traditional agriculture, survival and re-establishment of traditional
agriculture in modern contexts, and the role of indigenous knowledge in agricultural
development.
The symposium is being planned by a group of soil and crop scientists studying traditional
runoff agriculture of the Zuni, a Native American tribe in New Mexico. Research and
researchers from around the world will be represented at the symposium.
A total of 39 papers will be presented: nine oral papers and 30 poster papers (as
confirmed by 10 June 1999). An afternoon reception at the poster session is also planned
to encourage discussion and interaction among participants.
The symposium is sponsored by Division A-6 (International Agronomy) and co-sponsored by
other crop and soil divisions.
For more information, please contact:
Dr Jon Sandor, Agronomy Department, Iowa State University, Ames IA;USA.
Tel.: +1-515-294 2209.
Fax: +1-515-294 8146.
E-mail: jasandor@iastate.edu
Ethnoveterinary practices in sub-Saharan Africa
Zaria (Nigeria)
12-16 December 1999
An international workshop on ethnoveterinary practices in sub-Saharan Africa is being
organized by the National Animal Production Research Institute of Ahmadu Bello University,
in cooperation with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The workshop
aims to provide a forum for discussing and evaluating the major findings of an
IDRC-supported project in Nigeria. Comparisons will be drawn with related studies
elsewhere in the world in order to create a synthesis that points in the direction of new
research and offers guidelines for development efforts. Lessons learnt on the project
should be of interest to organizations in other countries, especially within the region,
and to other pastoral communities around the world.
The envisaged participants will all be experts on the subject, and will include
knowledgeable pastoralists and agropastoralists, research scientists, development workers
and administrators, representatives of NGOs and agencies, and other relevant
professionals.
The theme will be 'Ethnoveterinary practices, research, development and extension', which
will have six sub-themes:
1. Socio-cultural environment of ethnoveterinary practices
2. Disease profile and health management in traditional pastoral systems
3. Intellectual property rights, knowledge flow, empowerment and ethical considerations
4. Integrating indigenous and modern animal health and management practices
5. Methodological issues in ethno-veterinary research, development and extension
6. Future directions
Abstracts (maximum 250 words) should be received by 15 August 1999. Please e-mail
abstracts as plain ASCII texts. The full papers (15 pages maximum), both in hard copy and
on diskette, should be received by 15 October 1999. They should be sent by courier
(preferably DHL) to avoid the delays of regular post.
Manuscripts should be submitted in either WordPerfect 5/6 or Microsoft Word. Please
indicate your audiovisual requirements at the time you send in your final paper. Slides
and transparencies must be prepared in advance and brought to the workshop in person.
These deadlines are not flexible because we plan to produce the proceedings before
participants arrive for the workshop.
For more information, and to send abstracts and papers, please contact:
Jerome O. Gefu, Research Professor of Pastoral Systems, National Animal Production
Research Institute, Shika Ahmadu Bello University, PMB 1096, Zaria, Nigeria.
Tel.: +234-69-50 300.
Fax: +234-62-23 5048.
E-mail: jogefu@abu.edu.ng (please copy also to: iar.abu@kaduna.rcl.ng.com)
Traditional medicine and HIV/ AIDS
Dakar (Senegal)
11-12 March 1999
Cooperation and links between traditional and modern medicine was the theme of the
first international conference on traditional medicine and HIV/AIDS. 550 participants
convened in Dakar (Senegal) under the sponsorship of PROMETRA, the Association for the
Promotion of Traditional Medicine. Representatives of traditional-medicine organizations,
academics, physicians, journalists and policy-makers, together with persons who live with
HIV/AIDS, addressed the many issues surrounding the involvement of traditional healers in
the global fight against AIDS.
With AIDS devastating the African continent, a comprehensive solution is needed if the
epidemic is ever to be stopped. PROMETRA realizes that this effort must involve
traditional healers, since some 85 per cent of the sub-Saharan population receives its
health care and health education from traditional healers. Representatives of 30 nations
on five continents attended the conference. They included traditional healers. All came
together to share their expertise and offer suggestions regarding how to stop the global
AIDS epidemic.
The indigenous practices of traditional health professionals throughout the developing
world have their basis in indigenous science. The aim of the conference was to articulate
this scientific basis of knowledge and to support its application in the global fight
against HIV/AIDS.
Before the conference began, 150 participants made a site visit to the Center for
Experimental Medicine in Fatick (Senegal). This is a treatment and research centre
coordinated by PROMETRA and Malango, which is an association of 450 certified traditional
healers. The centre has a patient population of over 10,000 and combines both modern and
traditional medicine in the treatment of multiple diseases, including HIV infections.
After the conference, PROMETRA held a roundtable discussion among researchers, donors and
other representatives in order to formulate a strategic plan for a conference follow-up
and future activities. This important dialogue on the subject of a role for traditional
medicine in the fight against AIDS will be continued at the 11 th International Annual
Conference on AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in Africa, 12-16 September
1999, in Lusaka, Zambia. Traditional-medicine organizations will report on their research,
on their efforts to treat HIV-infected patients, and on their role as IEC (information,
education and communication) agents.
For more information please contact:
PROMETRA - The Association for the Promotion of Traditional Medicine, BP 6134 Dakar
Etoile, Senegal, West Africa.
Tel.: +221-832 2850.
Fax: +221-832 5749.
NGO approaches to animal health, with special focus on ethnoveterinary medicine
Sadri (India)
15-17 March 1999
Although there is an extensive government animal health system in Rajasthan, the Indian
state in which this conference took place, livestock owners make hardly any use of it,
continuing to rely on traditional animal healers and ethnoveterinary medicine. What can
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) do to provide animal health services that are keyed
to the needs of animal owners, and how can they mediate between farmers and the
government? In order to discuss these questions, Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan, an Indian
NGO specialized in working with livestock-dependent people, and its international sister
organization, the League for Pastoral Peoples, organized a regional three-day workshop.
The workshop was attended not only by NGO representatives, but also by traditional animal
healers, livestock owners, and representatives of the Department of Animal Husbandry and
various research institutions. The diverse backgrounds of the participants were a
guarantee of lively discussions, especially in the various working groups focusing on such
topics as the importance of ethnoveterinary medicine for the NGOs, the role of women in
animal health, and the logistics of community-based animal health programmes.
The participating organizations committed themselves to forming a network of NGOs involved
in livestock projects, and an action programme was drawn up which consisted of the
following points:
- registration of animal healers;
- establishment of a uniform format for the collection of ethnoveterinary information;
- validation of traditional treatments;
- use of indigenous knowledge for the mapping of animal diseases.
On the basis of the discussions, guidelines for NGOs on the implementation of animal
health programmes are to be prepared.
For further information please contact:
Ilse Köhler-Rollefson, League for Pastoral Peoples, Pragelatostr. 20, 64372
Ober-Ramstadt, Germany.
Tel./Fax: +49-6154-53 642.
E-mail: gorikr@t-online.de
or: Hanwant Singh Rathore, Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan, c/o Vyas travels, Bus
Stand, Sadri 306702, Pali district, Rajasthan, India.
Herbs, humans and animals: medicinal plants and ethnoveterinary medicine in the
Mediterranean region
Coreglia Antelminelli (Italy)
7-9 May 1999
This international conference on ethno-veterinary practices and traditional knowledge
in the Mediterranean region took place in Coreglia Antelminelli (Garfagnana valley, Lucca
Province, Tuscany Region), central Italy. It was organized by a pool of local agents:
Province Lucca, Comunità Montana della Garfagnana and Media Valle del Serchio, EU-LEADER
Group Garfagnana, ARSIA -Tuscany Region, Coreglia Municipality, Consorzio Garfagnana
Produce and Pro Loco Coreglia. The initiative followed a first event held in the same
region in May 1998, when attention focused on traditional knowledge and the
'ethno-gastronomy of wild edibles'. (The proceedings of that conference were published
in October 1998; for information, see below.) This earlier initiative resulted in a
series of events drawing attention to the protection of 'typical food products'. These
events are still going on in northwestern Tuscany.
The reason for holding the most recent conference was the observation that many
'less-favoured' regions of the Mediterranean, such as Garfagnana in northwest Tuscany,
still preserve treasures of popular heritage. Traditional animal breeding practices and
traditional methods for producing high-quality milk and meat products are seriously
endangered by the big distribution channels of the food industry. But as traditional
practices are rediscovered, people are beginning to think seriously about sustainable
projects to improve and develop traditional products for new niche markets. More than a
hundred experts and other interested persons attended the conference, which was opened by
archeo-ethnobotanist Füsun Ertug, who told about the various interactions among humans,
animals and plants in the ethnomedicine of Anatolia, central Turkey. Many interesting
contributions followed--some in English, and some in Italian. For example, Mar“a de
los Reyes Gonzáles-Tejero García (Granada University, Spain), a pharmacognosist,
presented examples of little-known medicinal uses of plants in the treatment of animals in
Andalusia. Aref Abu-Rabia (Beer-Sheva University, Israel), a medical anthropologist,
reported on the ethno-veterinary practices he observed among Bedouin tribes in the Near
East. Graziella Picchi, a rural sociologist, drew attention to the traditional but
endangered agro-pastoral societies of Italy, while Rita Elisabetta Uncini-Manganelli (Pisa
University, Italy), a pharmaceutical botanist, and Maria Elena Giusti (Florence
University, Italy), an anthropologist, presented data on pharmaco-botanical and
anthropological aspects of various ethno-veterinary practices recorded during many years
of fieldwork in Garfagnana. Pietro Venezia (speaker for the Italian Society of Tropical
Veterinary and Zootechny) and Daniele De Meneghi (University of Turin, Italy) discussed
the ethnoveterinary aspects of projects in Guatemala and Tanzania, while Marco Verdone
(Raphael Association, Pisa, Italy), a homeopathic veterinarian, talked about the low
economic impact of alternative veterinary practices compared with the impact of
allelopathic practices.
The final discussion addressed the problems of the small producers of animal products who
are still managing to survive in various regions of southern Europe. They and their
typically regional products are under threat from the 'unacceptable hygiene paranoia' of
the European Union. Steps are being taken to help these producers, but the conference
participants agreed that they should be given even more help to make their small
industries sustainable by enabling them to guarantee the quality of their products. The
chairmen of several Italian university faculties in veterinary science announced their
willingness to set up projects in rural areas of Italy to document traditional knowledge
and practices pertaining to the raising of animals for food, and then to see how the
ethnoveterinary practices might be put to use in projects for the sustainable development
of traditional small industries based on livestock.
The proceedings of the conference will be published in September-October 1999. To order
a copy or obtain more information, please contact: Experiences, c/o Dr Andrea Pieroni,
Venloer Str. 233a, D-50823 Köln, Germany.
Fax: +49-221-952 5484.
E-mail: experiences@netcologne.de
http://www.de/experiences
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