Related websites

In this feature we recommend websites that deal with the subjects treated in this issue of the Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor. CIRAN’s information specialists have searched the Internet for relevant, useful pages. Sometimes the sites offer background information; other times the information is supplementary.

There is hardly any information on the Internet about indigenous problem-solving. A place to start might be the site of Sristi, society for research and inititatives related to sustainable technologies and institutions. The society consistently takes the indigenous community as its point of departure.
http://csf.colorado.edu/sristi/index.html

In an earlier volume of the Monitor, problem-solving was mentioned in the context of a game. The article was called ‘Indigenous problem-solving and Western methodology. The case of Bao.’ In Zanzibar, masters of the game known as Bao prove that conventional education is not essential for becoming a master. It turns out that the memory and problem-solving skills required for Bao are entirely different from methods of problem-solving as taught in conventional education systems. These make Bao masters extraordinary players, but more than this, the game gives them subtle methods for dealing with the sort of rapidly changing situations that characterize the game of Bao.
http://www.nuffic.nl/ciran/ikdm/4-3/articles/voogt.html

Two earlier articles in the Monitor dealt with post-harvest systems:

· ‘An indigenous post-harvest technology’ presents the objectives, methodology and results of a research project by the National Academy of Agricultural Research Management in India. The project examined how neem leaves are used in storage bags to prevent damage to grains by pests.
http://www.nuffic.nl/ciran/ikdm/3-2/articles/samanta.html

· ‘Indigenous post-harvest knowledge in an Egyptian oasis’ is an article on a new approach to pest management in Mut (El Dakhla), in the Western desert of Egypt, where pesticides have been distributed free in order to encourage their adoption in place of indigenous practices. According to some farmers, this has made pest problems worse and created environmental problems.
http://www.nuffic.nl/ciran/ikdm/2-1/articles/parrish.html

Via Eldis, the gateway to development information (http://www.ids.ac.uk/eldis.html), we have found two interesting sites:

· A full-text document entitled Gender-orientation in the post-harvest sector. Pointers for identifying gender-specific aspects in the post-harvest sector, by Doris Günther in collaboration with Elke Zimprich, GTZ, 1998.

· Information Network on Post-Harvest Operations, a FAO databank project of the Post-Harvest Management Group, AGSI. The project’s aim is to support the collection, collation, development and dissemination of useful information on proven technologies and products in post-harvest systems. The website offers the full text of training and technical publications, country profiles, and crop profiles. It is the joint effort of FAO, CIRAD, and GTZ.
http://www.fao.org/inpho/index-e.htm

Malaysian Palm Oil Promotion Council. The name says it already. The Malaysian palm oil industry is committed to making Malaysian palm oil the leading vegetable oil in the world, and Malaysia the focal point of the international market for oils and fats. Despite the hype, all kinds of useful facts about palm oil are presented: its nutritional value, history, plant sources, etc.
http://www.mpopc.org.my/

An earlier article in the Monitor, ‘Palmeraie jardin as a sustainable alternative for oil palm production’, might be of specific interest because of the photo essay illustrating how palm oil is processed in Benin. The traditional agro-forestry system of Porto Novo in Southeastern Benin, which is known as ‘palmeraie jardin’ (oil palm garden), is described and analyzed. The author suggests that this oil palm management system, if adapted, could be a sustainable alternative to the present systems of oil palm management.
http://www.nuffic.nl/ciran/ikdm/7-1/segalla.html

The text of this document can be found on the World Bank’s IK Initiative website under News.
http://www.worldbank.org/afr/ik/kdeclar.htm

Back to: top of the page | Contents IK Monitor (8-1) | IKDM Homepage
Suggestions to: ikdm@nuffic.nl
© copyright Nuffic-CIRAN and contributors 2000.