Indigenous Knowledge : The East Africa-South Asia Learning Exchange - An Example of South-South Cooperation

World Bank

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE;    LEARNING PROCESSES;    LEARNING STRATEGIES;    DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS;    PARTNERSHIP;   

RP-ID  :  25599

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Inspired by the success of the pilotstudy tour, the Africa Region embarked on an initiative tobuild cross-regional partnership between East Africa andSouth Asia seeking to integrate indigenous knowledge andpractices into Bank supported operations. The aim was toleverage the experience of IK good practices from South Asiainto Bank supported projects in East Africa. This would alsohelp foster new partnerships for South-South dialogue,cooperation and technical assistance. The focus was onindigenous knowledge as it is a key element of the socialcapital of the poor, assisting them in their struggle toimprove their livelihoods. For example, farmers have usedorganic fertilizers to increase soil fertility in parts ofAsia and Africa for centuries; similarly, local healers haveused medicinal plants in India and Tanzania to treat commonhuman, and animal diseases. Many local organizations,institutions, and communities have a wealth of knowledge ofIK practices. However, these practices are not disseminatedeffectively because community-based organizations lack thecapacity to capture, document, validate and share them.