Local (Traditional) Knowledge as the Key for Sustainable Rural Development: Utopia or Reality? (Introduction to thematic section) (original) (raw)
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Local knowledge utilization and sustainable rural development in the 21st Century
Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor, 9(3), pp. 13-15. , 2001
Local or indigenous knowledge is essential for rural development. This article provides a conceptual framework to distinguish between the various knowledge systems currently in use. It is suggested that knowledge should be documented and preserved both in situ and ex situ, and urges governments to afford agencies for scheduled change, CBOs and NGOs the opportunity to access information from international centres through the Internet.
The contribution of local knowledge in agriculture to sustainable development
2015
Local knowledge (LK) has played an active role in the lives of rural communities in virtually every part of the world such as in agriculture. At the same time, the contribution of LK towards sustainable development is getting wider acceptance especially in today's agricultural practice. Therefore, continuous study to define the sustainability element is needed especially within community who still utilise LK. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the contribution of local knowledge practiced by the Iban farmers in lowland paddy cultivation located in the coastal areas of Sarawak in relation to the sustainable development context. The study was conducted in two Iban villages in Kuala Tatau namely Kuala Serupai and Sungai Semanok. There are 22 farmers of different age and gender involved in this research through in-depth interview, focus group discussion and participant observation that were carried out for a year. The findings show that this knowledge contribute to the three pillars of sustainability frame work such as socio-culture, socioeconomic and environment.
The role of indigenous knowledge in sustainable rural economic development
Today, the formal knowledge transmitted through educational institutions to the community is particularly supported by the government, which is also very roper and correct. However, efforts to develop local skills and knowledge have been neglected, while in rural communities, such knowledge has a higher degree of climate and cultural originality than formal knowledge. Based on previous studies, to increase the results obtained from implementing the policies, the ones included and affected by those policies need to have the opportunity to comment, and they should be encouraged to work collaboratively. Therefore, by understanding the importance of experience and highly valuable and tacit knowledge of the villagers, in dealing with unfamiliar problems, a basis for decision-makings in order to achieve sustainable economic development can be found to be used as a supplement to formal knowledge. Then, through the synergy created, we can contribute to improving the quality level of policies effectiveness and the villagers 'welfare. In this paper, we have tried to explore the role of indigenous knowledge in sustainable rural development.
The Contribution of Local Knowledge in Agriculture to Sustainabe Development
Local knowledge (LK) has played an active role in the lives of rural communities in virtually every part of the world such as in agriculture. At the same time, the contribution of LK towards sustainable development is getting wider acceptance especially in today's agricultural practice. Therefore, continuous study to define the sustainability element is needed especially within community who still utilise LK. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the contribution of local knowledge practiced by the Iban farmers in lowland paddy cultivation located in the coastal areas of Sarawak in relation to the sustainable development context. The study was conducted in two Iban villages in Kuala Tatau namely Kuala Serupai and Sungai Semanok. There are 22 farmers of different age and gender involved in this research through in-depth interview, focus group discussion and participant observation that were carried out for a year. The findings show that this knowledge contribute to the three pillars of sustainability frame work such as socio-culture, socio-economic and environment.
Queen Elizabeth House Working Papers, 2008
Environmental degradation is a major global problem, and addressing it is a key Millennium Development Goal. Its impacts are not just environmental (e.g., species loss), but also economic (e.g., reduced agricultural productivity), with degradation increasingly cited as a key cause of rural poverty in the developing world. The degradation literature typically emphasises common property or 'open access' natural resources, and how perverse incentives or missing institutions lead optimising private actors to degrade them. By contrast, the present paper considers degradation occurring on private farms in peasant communities. This is a critical yet delicate issue, given the poverty of such areas and questions about the role of farmers in either degrading or regenerating rural lands The paper examines natural resource management by peasant farmers in rural Tanzania. Its key concern is how the local knowledge informing farmers' management decisions adapts to challenges associated with environmental degradation and market liberalisation. Given their poverty, this question could have direct implications for the capacity of households to successfully meet their livelihood needs. Based on fresh empirical data, the paper finds that differential farmer knowledge helps explain the large differences in how households and communities respond to the degradation challenge. The implication is that some farmers adapt more effectively to emerging challenges than others, despite all being rational, optimising agents who follow the management strategies they deem best. The paper thus provides a critique of local knowledge, implying that some farmers experience adaptation slippages while others race ahead with effective adaptations. The paper speaks to the chronic poverty that plagues many rural communities in the developing world. Specifically, it helps explain the failure of proven 'sustainable agriculture' technologies to disseminate readily beyond an initial group of early innovators, and suggests a means to help 'scale up' local successes. Its key policy implication is to inform improved capacity building for peasant communities.
Traditional knowledge as means for rural economic development.pdf
WIPO-WTO Colloquium papers, 2013
The main objective of this paper is to highlight the importance of Traditional Knowledge in Africa and Zambia in particular in terms of it being a means through which to attain rural economic empowerment and development. Rural communities have for a long time in Zambia been associated with high unemployment levels and consequently high poverty levels. In light of the fore-going, this paper attempts to be an indicator to policy makers in Zambia to diversify the economy away from copper, which is the traditional export for the country, into other ventures such as the harnessing, the use and commercialization of Traditional Knowledge to empower rural populations. In realizing and recognizing the intrinsic value that Traditional Knowledge particularly Traditional Medicine has, it becomes important that policy makers, through this paper, realize this intrinsic value and invest into this sector of the economy. Finally, the paper will come up with recommendations that can be used in order to successfully harness traditional knowledge to the benefit of the citizenry especially rural communities in Zambia. Key words: Traditional Medicine, Cultural expressions, commercialization, protection, economic empowerment, rural population, rural incomes.