Beneficiaries are actors too.pdf - Southern Institute of Peace ...

this also served to promote food security. Mixed cropping or
intercropping stabilised yields, preserved the soil and made it
possible to harvest different crops at the same time. Other
advantages included the reduction in susceptibility of the crops to
pests and diseases and a better use of the environment where the
combination of species grown had different light requirements or
explored different depths of soil. The system also tended to
provide a complete vegetation canopy at different heights and
thus broke up heavy rainfall and protected the soil.
Traditions, customs, beliefs and cultural rights also played an
important role in environmental conservation and biodiversity.
Many of the communities in Africa maintained shrines and this
protected forests which were used as places of worship and other
rituals. In addition, certain trees or animals were considered
sacred or as totems, so they were protected. IKS provided and still
has the potential to provide participatory approaches to
development that are both cost effective and sustainable hence
the need to put IK at the forefront of development initiatives in
Africa.
The importance of IK in sustainable development
IK is important for the survival of many indigenous communities
and the preservation of biodiversity. Warren (1992) notes that IK
provides the basis for grassroots decision-making, much of which
takes place at the community level through indigenous
organisations and associations where problems are identified and
solutions to them are determined. “Solution-seeking behaviour is
based on indigenous creativity leading to experimentation and
innovations as well as the appraisal of knowledge and
technologies introduced from other societies” (Warren, 1992).
Thrupp (1989) also notes that IK empowers local communities,
contributes to development and increases self-sufficiency.
According to Bayalama (1994) indigenous food production and
preservation systems, for example, contribute significantly to
food security. IK, in its various manifestations, also gives cultural
pride and motivation to solve local problems with local ingenuity
and resources. It is a crucial aspect of sustainable development.
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