(I) Strengthening Traditional ^' sTechnical Knowledge: the Sugar Cane Wine Example .lii frican countries are endowed the product is known and well-appreci- A fwith considerable potential for ated in the capital cities of the three processing a large variety of plants countries mentioned, with approxi- _ (fruits, leaves, roots, tubers, stems, mately 9 millions inhabitants (2 mil- flowers), to make food and drinks (fruit lion in Luanda, 600,000 in Brazzaville, juices, wines, etc.). In the context of and 6 million in Kinshasa), as well as in globalization, local products already in other less populated cities and towns; high demand in their region of origin and (iii) the market for sugarcane wine could also be successfully marketed na- is therefore potentially important, and tionally and internationally. Although a sugar cane (traditional) processing few of these traditional products are contributes to job creation and consti- found in some local markets, most of tutes a source of income for small food S them remain little known. Sugar cane processing enterprises, established wine is one of them. mainly in the rural areas and suburban In Angola, Congo, and the Demo- zones. The knowledge used is specific cratic Republic of Congo (DRC), sugar to the local populations of Northern cane has three main uses. First, it is Angola, Southern Congo and the West- consumed as a "canne de bouche" (lit- ern Democratic Republic of Congo, al- erally, cane for the mouth), to quench lowing entrepreneurs from these re- one's thirst, and/or to assuage one's gions to enjoy a comparative advan- hunger. Consumers peel the cane with tage. In addition, the growing demand a knife, chew on the tender part, suck for sugar cane wine has a stimulus ef- on it, swallow the juice and get rid of fect on sugar cane production, and is the bagasse (the fibrous portion of the increasing the need for the equipment No. 24 sugar cane remaining after the juice and packaging. September 2000 has been extracted). Second, it is used as a raw material to produce sugar. Third, it is used in the preparation of IK Notes reports periodically on Indig- enous Knowledge (IK) initiatives in sugar cane wine, called "lungwila. Sub-Saharan Africa. It is published by This article examines the knowledge the Africa Region's Knowledge and Learning Center as part of an evolving process used to make sugar cane wine, IK partnership between the World a traditional product in the three coun- Bank, communities, NGOs, develop- tries mentioned. There are several rea- ment in4ritijrir,ns,-n,1 nd Irl;r(rr-i org-, nizations. The views expressed in this sons for this choice: (i) the wine-mak- article are those of the authors and ing traditional process is an ancestral should not be attributed to the World practice, transmitted from one genera- Bank Cr,eA or its p,3 on n *r, inrbs ine tzfOA o"SD ' tion to the next; (ii) sugar cane wine nttp. ***.%vorldriank org artdr ,k consumption is growing substantially default F,tm in rural as well as urban areas. Indeed, 2 Building on traditional knowledge Knowledge transmission Sugar cane technology The sugar cane winemaking process comes from the ancient kingdom of Congo. Descendants of various communities who The expansion of the sugar cane wine market has helped to use to live there are now found in some regions improve production plant and work organization. In of Angola, Congo, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kimbongo, an area of intense activity, wine processors have This knowledge is held by men only - usually elders - and formed associations in order to reduce the difficulty of the raw material is usually self-supplied. Women are active in the work. They use bagasse as a fermentation substrate. To re- final stage, i.e. in the marketing of the finished product. His- place the one-lever press, they invented a manual two-lever torically, the knowledge is transmitted within clans and fami- press, and then a mechanical press. In 1997, Mexican tech- lies, from one generation to the next. With urbanization and nology was imported and introduced in the various regions the introduction of sugar cane wine in some markets, other where the wine is produced. It was adopted because it short- forms of transmission have emerged, particularly within pro- ens the transformation process, reduces the difficulties in the ducer groups and associations as well as in peri-urban envi- work process, and improves the rate ofjuice extraction. How- ronments. ever, its use remains limited because of its high cost, and lo- Small business owners transmit it to their employees, who, cal artisans are developing a local version. most of the time, are their relatives. Within wine-making as- sociations, the learning system that prevails is relatively dif- ferent, with two coexisting modes of apprenticeship: elder to younger transmission, and knowledge sharing. The first method of apprenticeship (elder to younger) is I K N o tes the one found in family-owned businesses, where the main beneficiaries are the younger, or those untrained persons would be of interest to: who wish to start their own business. The second method is based on knowledge sharing. It is a Name system where members of associations exchange their know- 1nstitiltifn how. A member who masters a specific operation (fermenta- tion for example) will share it with his peers, and will receive Address in exchange some other knowledge. These exchanges con- tribute to improving the skills of the producers group as a whole. Unlike other formal learning systems, beneficiaries from traditional training do not have to pay to acquire it. This is a Letters, comments, and requests for publications solidarity system inherited from ancient traditions. For entre- should be addressed to: preneurs, this system has numerous advantages: It reduces starting costs. Indeed, the entrepreneur who Editor: IK Notes wishes to produce sugar cane wine can easily acquire the re- Knowledge and Learning Center Africa Region, World Bank lated knowledge. In Kimbongo for example, hundreds of pro- 1818 H Street, N.W., Room J5-055 cessors start their businesses without having to go through Washington, D.C. 20433 E-mail: pmohan@worldbank.org the usual administrative steps, and without information and training costs. 3 In addition, every entrepreneur who becomes part of a pro- should built on their indigenous knowledge and skills. The ducers association in urban as well as rural areas, can im- combination of traditional and exogenous techniques (non- prove his knowledge through the custom of experience- shar- traditional but also traditional, emanating from other com- ing between members. This can be considered as a form of munities), may contribute to improving the production pro- continuing vocational training developed by local communi- cess. This approach is quite different from the one that pro- ties as well as collective innovation management without the claims that development agents know everything" and con- support of the usual formal appropriate institutions. stitute the best transfer mechanism for science and technol- ogy from research and development institutes to local com- Prospects munities. The producers and users of local knowledge are of- ten the real "experts". Scientists and technologists, when in- Indigenous technical knowledge is often under-estimated by volved in development, should listen to them and make the development researchers, decision-makers, and practitio- most of their knowledge and experience, and find ways to ners. This situation has had a negative impact on the design complement each other's knowledge. and implementation of policies. In spite of the technical difficulties that they encounter The example of sugar wine making in the DRC highlights and their relative exclusion from the national production sys- some important lessons regarding indigenous technical tem, users of traditional knowledge are technically capable of knowledge and its importance for African economic develop- responding to changes in production conditions and finding ment. Some issues need to be highlighted. The production innovative solutions to their problems. It has often been no- process is characterized by low productivity, disrupted activ- ticed that the more critical their situation, the more inven- ity, shortages in raw materials and supplies (due to the sea- tive they become. Indeed, local communities often resort to a sonal harvesting of sugar cane), storage problems for large wide range of traditional knowledge to adapt their produc- quantities of wine, etc. This situation creates regular wine tion techniques in order to ensure a good quality for their fi- shortages on the supply side. nal product. In addition, traditional technical knowledge does not per- Research and development organizations have a critical mit the exploitation of by-products ( bagasse, peelings). role to play in the acknowledgment of indigenous technical Moreover, not to recycle these waste products aggravates pol- knowledge, and the promotion of development programs lution in the workshop surroundings. Finally, the traditional aiming at their valorization. Indigenous technical knowledge production process lacks the packaging and bottling tech- may be revitalized by decentralized forms of government em- niques adapted needed for remote markets. phasizing a policy of local development. In addition, the cur- Regarding these constraints, it is crucial that development rent trend in favor of so-called "ethnic products" opens a new agents (entrepreneurs, researchers, NGOs, public authori- way to the development (through export) of products born ties, etc.) try to both understand traditional technical knowl- from traditional activities. edge and strengthen it. In this instance, the focus needs to be on developing appropriate packaging, recycling waste, and Promoting indigenous technical knowledge improving production plant facilities, etc. The current globalization of exchanges requires a reorganiza- Strengthening indigenous technical knowledge tion of African economies. This requirement is becoming more and more necessary and raises problems that the cen- Development practitioners seem to be paying more attention tralized approaches (of the Keynesian type) are unable to to the objectives and functions of scientific indigenous help solve. Decentralization at the regional and local levels knowledge. This does not mean that external assistance is allows the application of economic solutions to problems not useful or needed - it means that these practitioners that are better apprehended by a decentralized entity, closer 4 to those who are supposed to devise these solutions, apply Development agents can promote these activities through them and benefit from them. The creation of businesses rely- focusing on innovation processes in collaboration with pro- ing on indigenous technical knowledge also means jobs cre- ducers organizations. These organizations can also form part- ation at a local level. This approach would trigger a new dyna- nerships within the framework of decentralized cooperation mism of economic activity based on local human, physical, structures. Government awareness of the social and eco- and financial resources. Such local initiatives may result in nomic impact of these activities is essential, in order to de- the emergencc of a local industrial structure comprising of sign and implement an incentive-based policy to promote the small businesses. This would of course need an enabling envi- commercial development of local products. ronment and appropriate assistance. This article has been excerpted from the original in French by LUZIETOSO Nguala Ph.D (GREDA), BOM KHONDE Paul Charles Ph.D (GREDA), and BAZABANA Jean Jacques Magloire Ph.D (GREDA). GREDA stands for Groupe de Recherche et d'Expertise sur la valorisation des savoir-faire locaux pour le Developpement en Afrique.