IK Notes

99 items available

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IK Notes reports periodically on Indigenous Knowledge (IK) initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa and occasionally on such initiatives outside the region. It is published by the Africa region’s Results and Learning Unit as part of an evolving knowledge partnership between the World Bank, communities, NGOs, development institutions, and multilateral organizations.

Items in this collection

Now showing 1 - 10 of 99
  • Publication
    Using Traditional Knowledge in Economic Development : The Impact of Raised Field Irrigation on Agricultural Production in Puno, Peru
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2007-01) Middleton, Melisande
    The Andean region of Puno, known as the altiplano, is located at 3,830 meters above sea level. The terrain is prone to flooding, and thus difficult to cultivate. In order to deal with this situation, Andean indigenous populations displaced huge amounts of soil in order to create raised fields that were better adapted to agricultural use. Raised fields resolved many of the problems that affect agriculture at high altitude. The technology combines the rehabilitation of marginal soils, drainage improvement, increased water storage, more efficient use of radiant energy, and attenuation of the effects of frosts. The raised platform allows farmers to double the depth of topsoil for crops, and provides dry surfaces in the wet and often flooded lake and river terrain.
  • Publication
    Transferring an Indigenous Practice for Soil Improvement : Cattle Manure with Groundnut Shells
    (Washington, DC, 2006-11) World Bank
    Soil fertility never used to be a major constraint due to the age-old practices of recycling agricultural residues in several ways. However, in these days of inorganic fertilizers and quick returns, the problem of soil management and its related constraints are surfacing. In this context, indigenous practices related to soil and water conservation which can also be termed resource-conserving technologies need to be documented in a systematic way and also to be analyzed and introduced to potential new areas. Preparation of valuable manure from groundnut shells spread on the floor of the cattle shed is one such indigenous practice followed by farmers of Anantapur district in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. This age-old practice is still practiced by the farmers of this region.
  • Publication
    IK Notes Survey Results
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2006-10) Reuger, Claudia
    In early 2006, the program asked for feedback on the IK Notes series (see 36060) and to assess whether they had made contributions to reader's work. The focus of the survey was on readers' perceptions of the role of indigenous knowledge in development and the World Bank's work in terms of integrating indigenous knowledge and practices into World Bank-supported programs and projects. This report is based on responses to both the web-based and the paper survey; with 213 responses (144 to the web-based and 69 to the paper-based questionnaire).
  • Publication
    Endogenous and Modern Innovations : Differing Perspectives
    (Washington, DC, 2006-09) World Bank
    This notes paper touches on Ethiopia's being one of nine countries Involvement in the international network PROLINNOVA (Promoting Local Innovation). The Ethiopian program set up multi-stakeholder teams in different agro climatic zones. The paper goes on to mention exhibition of local and modern innovations at the Agricultural Technologies Exhibition which was held in Mekelle, the capital of Tigray region and give examples of local innovations. Some of the technologies at the exhibition are: a water-lifting device developed by Priest Malede Abreha and displayed as a model he built himself; subsurface drainage developed to relieve waterlogged farms in the main wet season; Drip irrigation systems, improved bee hives and queen rearing; and domesticating wild bees for medicinal honey. The paper also covers how farmers assess these innovations and the differences in interests and perceptions that such innovations bring.
  • Publication
    Cultural Heritage and Collective Intellectual Property Rights
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2006-08) Santilli, Juliana
    The inventive and creative processes of communities are often collective and the use of information, ideas and resources generated on the basis of such collective processes are broadly shared. Therefore, the concept of property rights belonging to one or more identifiable individuals is alien and contrary to the values and concepts of such societies and its adoption could foster a dissociation of knowledge from the context in which it is produced and shared. A legal regime for 'collective intellectual property rights' would avoid these difficulties. The Brazilian Federal Constitution made great progress in the protection of cultural heritage by announcing a modern inclusive and democratic legal concept. The text clearly extends the notion of cultural heritage, appreciates cultural pluralism and demonstrates a spirit of democratization of cultural policies.
  • Publication
    Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania : Priority Fruit Species and Products for Tree Domestication and Commercialisation
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2006-07) Ham, Cori
    In collaboration with partners, the World Agro-forestry Centre established a number of fruit processing groups in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania. These groups are actively involved in the processing of products such as wines and jams and sell their products in their respective districts. During 2003 a number of these groups and other stakeholders were consulted regarding the fruit species and products that they prefer to process, and other aspects such as training, marketing and general constraints. A total of 97 people attended three workshops at Magomero in Malawi, Tabora in Tanzania and Harare in Zimbabwe. The three workshops highlighted the differences in perceptions regarding fruit trees and fruit products between commercial and community processors, as well as between processors in different areas of southern Africa. Evidently, communities involved with the processing of fruit, prefer to utilize both indigenous and exotic species. In developing agro-forestry strategies it would be critical to consider these differences between processing groups. The focus should be on a range of tailor-made domestication and commercialization strategies for different processing groups, levels of commercial development and geographic regions. Such a strategy could present regional development agencies an opportunity to concentrate on smaller more focused projects instead of large regional initiatives that are difficult to manage.
  • Publication
    Conservation of Medicinal Plants in Central America and the Caribbean
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2006-06) Lagos-Witte, Sonia
    The issues of medical plant conservation have been the focus of many formal and informal discussions at national and international forums, seminars, workshops, conferences and congresses in the last 10 years. Caribbean and Central American countries are adopting common policies on medicinal plant conservation and establishing collaborative projects and appropriate agreements for research programs in order to achieve a new status for the protection of medicinal plant diversity. This paper for the most part reports on the the TRAMIL Program (Scientific Research on Medicinal Plants in the Caribbean Basin) coordinated since 1982. TRAMIL has focused on conserving traditional community knowledge of folk remedies, and providing scientific validation of safety and efficacy needed to encourage national health policies that include traditional medicine in primary health care programs.
  • Publication
    Biodiversity and Health Symposium Conclusions and Recommendations
    (Washington, DC, 2006-05) World Bank
    The paper reported that to increase the effectiveness of healthcare as well as to alleviate poverty in the poorest parts of the world, the symposium participants recommended urgent attention to three principles: 1. Success will only be achieved if both biological diversity and cultural diversity are conserved.; 2. Leadership must come from indigenous peoples/(local communities) in the use of traditional knowledge for broader health benefits; 3. International cooperation and partnerships are necessary to ensure safety and quality of traditional phytomedicines.
  • Publication
    Traditional Medicine Programmes in Madagascar
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2006-04) Rasoanaivo, Philippe
    The note reviews Madagascar's inherited wealth of ethno-medical knowledge, being endowed with a flora of unique global importance on account of its biodiversity, endemicity, and ethno-medical uses. The government of Madagascar has shown its political commitment to traditional medicine by supporting, through an inter-ministerial convention, a commission to study regulations on traditional medicine, and its pharmacopoeia in the country, which was established in May 1996. The note further enumerates the general and operational objectives of the traditional medicine policy, and identifies associations and institutions involved in traditional medicine, in medicinal plant research and production, in pharmacopoeia, and in phyto-medicine production, and relevant programmes.
  • Publication
    Indigenous Knowledge (IK) Notes Survey
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2006-03) Rueger, Claudia
    The present edition of IK Notes asks the reader to provide feedback, and assess the contribution the publication has made to their related work. The intention is to learn about perceptions of IK Notes, and the role of Indigenous Knowledge in development. The survey is divided into two parts; both consist of short segments with multiple-choice responses. The first part covers the issue of how to evaluate IK Notes, and asks about the role it plays in the reader's work. The second part of the survey asks to provide an assessment of the importance of Indigenous Knowledge in development processes. The survey aims at learning about the role IK plays in the reader's work, and, places questions such as: Do you integrate indigenous practices in your work? And if so, did it change the outcome of your work?