The presentation focuses on indigenous knowledge systems and science and their role in rural and agricultural development. Both knowledge systems are important to the modern man. They are a science which can be used profitably to further progress and without contradictions.

1. Perspectives on the role and use
of indigenous knowledge systems
in rural and agricultural
development
Raymond Erick Zvavanyange
Zimbabwe
Amabhubhesi Training Centre
Randburg, Johannesburg,South Africa
November 15, 2014

2. Is this one continent?
•Afrika vs. Africa

3. Young people are the traditional
leaders of today and tomorrow
“When a knowledgeable old person dies, a
whole library disappears
(An old African Proverb)

4. Outline
• Introduction
• Types and sources of knowledge
• Science and knowledge
• Indigenous knowledge
• Summary
• Implications

5. Introduction
• Many types of knowledge in use in every day
life.
• Knowledge enriches people’s experience,
development, and progress as a society.
• Knowledge exists at the point of action
(Rukuni, 2014)

6. What is Knowledge?
• “Knowledge is a familiarity with someone or
something which can include information,
facts, descriptions, and /or skills acquired
through experience or education.
• theoretical or practical understanding of a
subject”
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge

7. Types of Knowledge
• Episteme (Scientific Knowledge) – explicit
• Techne (Skills and Craft Knowledge) – tacit
• Phronesis (Practical Wisdom) – high
quality tacit

8. Sources of knowledge
Books Media e.g. newspapers

9. Sources of knowledge [Cont]
Conferences and meetings Technology

10. Features of Knowledge
• Practical aspect.
• Person bound or not
• Normative structure
• Internal networked
• Dynamic
• Institutional context
• External networked

11. Science (and knowledge)
• Science is the ideas that humanity uses to
understand the world around it (Tsao, 2012)
• Science is the human social community in
which those ideas exist and which has, at
least, for the time being conquered earth
(Tsao, 2012)

12. Science (and knowledge)
Birth Growth Death
Of new
believers and
beliefs
Of influence of
believers and
beliefs
By shrinkage of
influence of
believers and
beliefs
Source: Engineering the Ultimate Dynamical Social System : what we know and don’t know
about how scientists do science, Jeff Tsao, December 5, 2012 Sandian National Laboratory,
USA

14. Science (and knowledge)
• The History of Science and Technology (2004) By Bryan Bunch with
Alexander Hellemans
• Philosophy, as a precursor to Science in the Western World
– Francis Bacon and the scientific method
• Discovery of the Deoxyribonucleic acid [DNA] by Francis Crick and
James D. Watson in the 1950’s.
• The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962) by T.S. Kuhn
– Paradigms
• [Agricultural] Modern Science
– Reductionist and interdisciplinary science
– Science of science
– Team Science

15. Indigenous Knowledge
• Indigenous knowledge is knowledge that is
unique to a given culture or society
(Manyatsi, 2011).
• Indigenous knowledge systems are defined
in the context of innovation, technical
knowledge, associated social organization
and decision making processes (Brokensha
et al., 1980; Kidd and PhillipsHoward,1992).

16. Variants of Indigenous Knowledge
• Traditional Ecological
Knowledge
• Traditional
Knowledge
• Local Ecological
Knowledge
• Knowledge of Living
• Rural people’s
knowledge
• Ethnobiology,
ethnobotany,
enthnozoology
• Ethno science, folk
science, indigenous
science

17. Features of Indigenous Knowledge
• Collective rights and interests held by traditional
communities.
• Close in interdependence between knowledge,
land, and other aspects of culture in traditional
societies.
• Oral transmission of knowledge in accordance
with well understood cultural principles.
• Rules regarding secrecy and sacredness that
govern the management of knowledge.

18. Uses of Indigenous Knowledge
• To sustain the community.
• To facilitate communication among people
coming from different backgrounds.
• To maintain, uphold and preserve culture.
– Social capital
• To free the minds of people from stereotypes.
– Independence
• To maintain genetic resources necessary for the
continued survival of the community.
– Succession
– Sustainability

19. Application of Indigenous
Knowledge
• Traditional medicines
• Animal and crop
production
• Education
• Hydrological disaster
management
• Combating
desertification
• Coping with climate
variability
• Forest conservation
• Integrated pest
management
• Plant and genetic
resources
management
• Fisheries
management
• Environment
management

20. Summary
• Knowledge is generated anywhere (and
rural areas are no exception).
• Indigenous knowledge has wide
applications in rural and agriculture
development.
• Indigenous knowledge helps people to
conquer their environment.

21. Implications
• The concept of K* is important in the creation
of new knowledge.
• The indigenous entrepreneur can explore the
options of wealth creation from indigenous
products.
• In order to assist farmers and give them
resilience, it is important to invest in new
knowledge, skill and practices.

22. Last word
“If we observe two forms of knowledge latest
science tries to understand a whole from the
pieces while indigenous knowledge sees things
as wholes”
(Mohammad Saeed Lodhi and Imran Naseem,
2012)