Indigenous knowledge for sustainable livelihoods: Lessons from ecological pest control and post-harvest techniques of Baduy (West Java) and Nguni (Southern Africa)
Leeja C Korina & Alexis Habiyaremye
#2017-025
With the impending threat of global climate change, the last decades
have witnessed an increasing recognition of the potential contribution
of indigenous knowledge to tackling global challenges of environmental
sustainability. The sources and wisdom of indigenous knowledge have
however much more to contribute to global knowledge, well beyond
environment conservation and traditional medicine. This paper uses the
examples of swidden cultivation, pest control and rice preservation
techniques of the Baduy in West Java (Indonesia) and comparable grain
pits utilisation by Nguni tribes in Southern Africa to discuss how
indigenous sources of knowledge can be an inspiration for greater social
cohesion and sustainable livelihoods. It also draws lessons showing that
combining indigenous knowledge systems with modern scientific methods can
make it possible to achieve results that neither system can do alone.
Keywords: indigenous knowledge systems, sustainable livelihoods, Baduy
community, Nguni tribes grain pits
JEL classification: O13, F64, Q15, Q57