strategy
Using local knowledge in planning agricultural industries
Synonyms:
Using farmer-oriented approaches to implementing policies on primary production Implementation:
This strategy features in the framework of Agenda 21 as formulated at UNCED (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), now coordinated by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and implemented through national and local authorities. Agenda 21 recommends initiating mechanisms to document, synthesize and disseminate local knowledge, practice and project experience so as to make use of the lessons of the past when formulating and implementing policies affecting farming, forest and fishing populations. Claim:
1. Rural development can be better advanced through reverses of learning among professionals and the encouragement of joint use of knowledge derived from local peoples and professional outsiders. Understanding the descriptive and conceptual terms of rural people can provide scientific points of departure for scientific investigation which may be more practical and useful than the externally determined categories of outsider's knowledge. People's land and resource classification has its own dynamics which is inextricably linked with their sociocultural life and livelihood. Agricultural production is both an ecological and economic adaptation that utilizes the diversity of micro-environment combined with judicious risk-taking as commercial agriculture penetrated the community.2. There are now hundreds of studies which have recorded indigenous knowledge in many countries. A review of these documents reveals useful insights in how indigenous knowledge and scientific research can benefit from one another. Despite improvements in crop and livestock production technologies, many farmers do not adopt these innovations. Research indicates that the farmers' decisions to reject an innovation are often rational when viewed through the indigenous system. Many farming systems are based on intimate knowledge of soils, vegetation, climate, and pests. They also reflect strategies that allow the farmer to avoid perceived input, output and marketing risks or uncertainties. Understanding these perceived risks and ways of avoiding them can be an important first step towards fruitful partnerships between development professionals and farmers.
Broader:
BufferingSupporting rural developmentPromoting agricultural innovationDecentralizing management of rural developmentCooperating for local sustainable rural developmentStrengthening role of farmers in sustainable developmentEnsuring public participation for sustainable agriculture Facilitates:
Expanding social forestryUsing careful fishing methodsHumanizing agricultural policyRecognizing micro-environments in farmingFacilitating participatory planning in development Facilitated by:
Relating to placeEmploying local peopleImproving farmers' knowledgeAssessing local knowledge of forestsChallenging globalization of agricultureRecognizing traditional fishery management systemsConducting research on participatory approaches to rural development planning References:
Institute of Development Studies: Workshop on Farmers and Agricultural Research: Complementary MethodsSumberg, Jim and Okali, Christine: Framers' Experiments: creating local knowledgeFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Local Organizations in Community Forestry Extension in Asia Subjects:
Medicine → Locomotive, integumentary systemSociety → People
Society → Local
Amenities → Rural
Industry → Industry
Industry → Production
Agriculture, Fisheries → Agriculture
Agriculture, Fisheries → Farming
Management → Planning
Development → Development
Policy-making → Policy
Type Classification:
E: Emanations of other strategies Related UN Sustainable Development Goals:
