Farmers as Partners in Knowledge Development

Abstract

Knowledge can be classified into (i) explicit, which can be easily recorded (e.g., books) and (ii) tacit, which cannot be always articulated. However, much of this tacit knowledge can be shared. The conversion of tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge is called externalization. Farmers possess both kinds of knowledge. Scientists often pre-determine ignorance largely because they have little interest in externalizing farmers' tacit knowledge. A new form of knowledge is generated by combining (analyzing, categorizing, and integrating) this externalized explicit knowledge of several individuals/entities so as to create a new explicit from tacit knowledge.