African Traditional Herbal Research Clinic Why ... - Blackherbals.com

Continued from page 25 –The Afrikan Traditional HerbalResearch Centreproduction, pest control, crop diversity, animalhealthcare, seed varieties), biology (botany, fishbreeding techniques), human healthcare (throughtraditional medicine), the use and management ofnatural resources (soil conservation, irrigation and otherforms of water management), and education (oraltraditions, local languages).Furthermore, through modern ethno-botanical research,indigenous knowledge is contributing to science infields relevant to natural resource management. Inparticular, indigenous knowledge helps scientistsunderstand the issues of biodiversity and natural forestmanagement provide insights into crop domestication,breeding and management, and gives scientists a newappreciation of the principles and practices of 'slashand-burn'techniques in agriculture, agro-ecology, agroforestry,crop rotation, pest and soil management, andother areas of agricultural science.One of the major prerequisites for the entire process ofcollecting, applying and disseminating indigenousknowledge is the full participation of the local peopleinvolved. Full participation can be achieved only whenthe local communities are able to participate on anequal level. Capacity building is therefore a key issue,and vital if traditional knowledge systems are to receivethe active support to sustain them. Capacity buildingmust include training to better equip indigenous peopleand young scientists to carry out research on traditionalknowledge, and to promote and develop that research tobetter appreciate traditional knowledge. This can beachieved through collaborations between nationalgovernments and Afrikan organisations and by placingindigenous knowledge on the agenda of science fordevelopment in general.Afrika is a natural treasure house, endowed withwonderful examples of physical and cultural diversity.Afrika is also a laboratory for studying the boundariesbetween modern scientific methods and technologiesand traditional practices. Indigenous knowledge has atrans-generational, communal, spiritual and culturalnature. Western science is based solely ontechnological aspects of the physical world. Indigenousknowledge and western science should be seen as twosystems of knowledge that can supplement, rather thancompete with each other.Traditional AgricultureTraditional farming is an important reserve and sourceof biodiversity. It is still perhaps the only sustainablesystem. Ancient farmers developed sustainable agriculturepractices, which allowed them to produce food -and fiber for thousands of years with few if any outsideinputs. Many of these practices have been forgotten orabandoned in developed countries, but have continuedto be used by many traditional, subsistence, or partiallysubsistence farmers in developing countries. Mosttraditional methods of agriculture were developedempirically, through millennia of trial and error, naturalselection, and keen observation. Some of thesepractices, which often conserve energy, maintainnatural resources, and reduce chemical use, are worthyof examination. Today over half of the worlds' arableland is farmed by traditional farmers. Many of theirtechniques are unknown or poorly understood, but haveallowed them to produce crops and animals withminimal or no purchased inputs. Traditional farmingsystems often resemble natural tropicalagroecosystems. This and their striking diversity givethem a high degree of stability, resilience, andefficiency.Traditional farming, however, is being replaced bymodern intensive farming systems in many parts of theworld. This represents the loss of farming systems thatare stable, sustainable and from which many valuablelessons can be learned. Although high yields of modernintensive agriculture have made it possible to feed theever-increasing human population, it has beenaccomplished at the expense and to the destruction ofthe surrounding ecosystems. Traditional agriculturalpractices must be understood and conserved, beforethey are lost through the rapid advance of modernagriculture in developing countries.They are fertilizing the Earth on a global scale throughintensive agriculture, fossil fuel combustion andwidespread cultivation of leguminous crops. Evidenceis growing that the use of huge additional quantities ofnitrogen are exacerbating acidification, causingchanges in the species composition of ecosystems. Italso raises nitrate levels in freshwater supplies aboveacceptable limits for human consumption, producing anaquatic environment that favours plant over animal lifein many freshwater habitats. Pesticide use causes theacute poisoning of 3.5 to 5 million people a year.Worldwide, 400 million tonnes of hazardous waste arebeing generated each year. About 75 per cent ofpesticide use and hazardous waste generation occurs indeveloped countries. Despite restrictions on toxic andpersistent chemicals such as DDT, PCBs and dioxin inmany developed countries, manufacturing of thesechemicals continues for export and remains widelyused in developing countries.Microbial food-borne illnesses are the largest class ofemerging infectious diseases. The use of antibiotics andContinued on page 27-26- Traditional African Clinic October 2008