Harnessing Indigenous Knowledge for Development

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Harnessing Indigenous Knowledge for Development

• Presentation to UNCTAD
• Conference on Traditional Knowledge November 1,
  2000
  
• Nicolas Gorjestani
• Chief Knowledge Learning Officer
• Africa Region, The World Bank

2
Overview

• Development case for IK
• World Banks IK Program
• The way forward

3
Knowledge is experience, everything else is
information
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IK Affects Peoples Lives

• Herbal medicine is an excellent example of IK
  that has affected lives around the globe...

but there is much more to it !
5
What IK Achieved in Mozambique
Case of post-conflict resettlement

• Traditional authorities and local administration
  
  
• managed 500,000 land transactions and
• settled 5 million refugees and displaced
  persons in two years
  
• Used only local knowledge and capacity
• no external assistance from government, donors or
  NGOs
  
• no conflicts over land and rights
• Impact small holders re-launch agricultural
  growth

How long would it have taken management
consultants?

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What IK Achieved in Senegal
Case of women of Malicounda

• Adult education course by TOSTAN
• apply literacy to solve a community problem
• learn about the consequences of circumcision on
  the health of girls
  
• abolish the practice after sharing experiences
  within the community
  
• Exchange experiences with other communities
• involve male spiritual leaders
• obtain presidential approval for the Oath of
  Malicounda
  
• Impact
• More than 16 communities abolish the practice
  within 18 months
  
• Senegal officially abolishes practice in December
  1998

How many development projects build on such
social capital ?
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What IK Achieved in Burkina Faso
Case of local language literacy centers

• Literacy in local languages
• 15,000 learners in Gulmancema language (41
  women)
  
• 4,000 literacy centers vs 3,000 formal schools
  using French
  
• 52 of successful literacy center students were
  women
  
• Impact
• 50 of 72,000 literacy center students declared
  literate
  
• newly literate women used local language to
  develop accounting, management systems to run
  cooperative

Do indicators of literacy capture such outcomes?
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What IK Achieved in Nigeria
Case of natural refrigeration system

• Local inventor developed an electricity-free
  cooling system
  
• Application pot-in-pot technology using local
  materials in Jigawa State
  
• space between two earthenware pots is filled with
  sand and watered
  
• allows perishable foods to stay fresh for three
  weeks to a month
  
• costs less than 50 cents used in 3/4 rural
  families in Jigawa
  
• Impact
• Farmers avoid having to sell their produce
  immediately
  
• Diseases caused by rotting food are reduced
• Women earn income from selling fruits, vegetables
  from their homes
  
• Girls previously sent to sell food before it
  spoiled can now go to school
  
• Jobs created in pottery-making factories
• Lesson simple technology adapted to local
  setting creates impact

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In the Development Process...
Indigenous knowledge could help to increase

• efficiency
• IK is cost effective
• IK uses appropriate technology
• effectiveness
• IK is locally managed
• IK reaches the poor
• sustainability
• IK provides for mutual adaptation learning
• IK empowers local communities

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In the Development Process...
Indigenous knowledge could also contribute to

• raising agricultural production
• Indigenous soil conservation technology (Burkina
  Faso)
  
• increasing value of education systems
• Local language instruction improves literacy
  skills (Mali)
  
• improving quality of health care
• Traditional Birth Attendants help reduce maternal
  mortality (Uganda)
  
• good governance
• Local institutions lead post-conflict land
  re-allocation (Mozambique)
  

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Role of Development Partners
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Empowerment
Communities shape own development agenda by
actively participating in development dialogue
determining research agendas enhancing good
governance integrating indigenous knowledge in d
evelopment
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Enablement
Helping local practitioners and communities
to exchange knowledge of local practices bu
ild traditional knowledge networks
engage authorities, researchers experts
dialogue with development partners
leverage traditional modern knowledge
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Empowerment through Enablement
Building on traditional knowledge systems
exchange engage connect Helping communitie
s learn

• learn
• hear
• listen
• Learning from communities

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Genesis of IK Program

• Global Knowledge Conference 1997
• vision of truly global knowledge partnership
• will be realized only when the poor
  participate
  
• as both users and contributors of knowledge
• Client Feed Back Surveys
• 40 percent knowledge adaptation gap
• look for what works in communities
• Partnerships (bilateral international
  organizations , NGOs, CBOs)

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What we have done to date...

• IK practices data base (200 cases)
• IK Notes publication (26 in print Internet)
• IK Report A Framework for Action
• Multi-lingual Website www.worldbank.org/afr/ik/d
  efault.htm
  
• Enhanced capacity of IK centers in 8 countries
• Capacity building to develop National IK
  Strategies (Uganda)
  
• Integrating IK into Bank-supported projects
• Knowledge Packs
• IK Topic on Global Development Gateway

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IK in Bank-supported Projects

• Agricultural Research Training Project II
  (Uganda)
  
• Lake Malawi Environment (Malawi, Mozambique,
  Tanzania)
  
• Conservation and Sustainable Use of Medicinal
  Plants (Ethiopia)
  
• Northern Savana Biodiversity Conservation
  (Ghana)
  
• Management of Forests and Adjacent Lands
  (Benin)
  
• Micro-watershed Environment Management Program
  (Nigeria)
  
• Education Community School Program (Mali)
• HIV/AIDS Multi-sector Project (Cameroon)

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The Way Forward
Need partnerships to help
Develop National Strategies on Utilization o
f IK Enhance capacity of national regional IK
networks Promote community-to-community excha
nges Identify innovative mechanisms to protect
IK
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Balanced Flow of Knowledge
Networks
Local Global
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Building networks of IK practitioners
Farmers
Healers
Engage Exchange Learn Influence

Hunters
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Leveraging Knowledge Networks
WHO/ World Bank Specialists
Researchers
Ministry of Health
PHC providers
Traditional Healers
Doctors
Pharmacists
Health Care CBOs/ NGOs
Botanists
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Successful Leveraging
Successful Adaptation

• Uganda RESCUER project in Iganga District
• PHCs partner with traditional birth attendants
• link attendants to health units thru
  walkie-talkies
  
• attendants serve as referral points
• more women receive health services
• Impact maternal deaths declined by 50 in 3
  years

Lesson leveraging modern traditional knowledge
systems can help to increase development impact
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Protection of IK Some Principles

• Not all IK are patentable or subject to IPRs
• Documentation in written records a key to
  protection of IK
  
• Look for innovative forms of protection such as
  MTAs
  
• Emerging examples of fair equitable benefit
  sharing (Cameroon)
  
• Regional agreements are potentially a cost
  effective form of protection (1996 Andean Pact
  allows prior informed consent)
  
• Community-to-community exchanges a possible
  platform

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Concluding Remarks
IK is a critical factor in sustainable
development Empowerment enablement of local c
ommunities is a key to integrating IK into the
development process Helping promote networks o
f traditional practitioners community-to-communi
ty exchanges is a way to better disseminate good
practices in IK Innovative mechanisms are need
ed to protect IK A regional approach is likely t
o be most cost effective World Bank is looking
forward to partnerships to help advance this
agenda
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Harnessing Indigenous Knowledge for Development

Thank you
www.worldbank.org/html/afr/ik/index.htm