Local Knowledge and Natural Resource Management

Abstract

Understanding local knowledge systems is fundamentally important to discern the complexities of natural resource management in any locality, and scientists are increasingly becoming interested in these. However, this interest stems from a narrow technology-centred focus. To broaden this focus, it is important to develop a robust conceptual framework that captures the dynamics of these systems. This article attempts to review various ways of conceptualising local knowledges and the intermeshing of gender and local knowledge in a variety of ways. A feminist gender perspective not only unravels the intricacies of the gendering of knowledge, but problematises the unequal distribution of power, control and skills as these are integral elements of the construction, valuation and marginalisation of local knowledge.

Knowledge apartheid in disaster risk management discourse: Is marrying indigenous and scientific knowledge the missing link?

“…Even when researchers employ sampling techniques such as snowballing, they will still be directed to the powerful elites in society, whilst the economically, politically and socially downtrodden will remain on the periphery of knowledge creation processes. The same applies to knowledge produced and held by women in patriarchal societies (Agrawal 1995 ; Kelkar 2007 ; Ramphele 2004 ).…”

“…This act of ‘privileging one form of knowledge over another’ (Nygren 1999 :271) has made it difficult for proponents of IK to promote its utilisation in development planning, and ‘has retarded its development and integration’ (Ocholla 2007 :3). In fact, IK is seen mainly as inefficient, primitive, archaic, inferior and inefficient (Kelkar 2007 ), an obstacle to development (Agrawal 1995 ) or a constraint on progress (Nygren 1999 ). Nyong et al ( 2007 :788) lament the fact that ‘little has been done to incorporate [ IK ] into formal climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies’ despite its demonstrated importance in climate-change resilience debates.…”

“…Knowledge marginalisation is gendered too, as knowledge generated and communicated especially by women is usually underrated, despite women possessing ‘particularly rich insights in many indigenous cultures and local knowledge systems’ (Agrawal 1995 :417). Kelkar ( 2007 :301) opines that there exist ‘different knowledges constructed by men and women as a result of their differential roles, access to and rights over resources, and work patterns’. It is further argued that rural women interact with the natural environment more than their male counterparts, since they draw their livelihoods from that natural environment, whilst most economically active men are engaged in paid work in urban areas.…”

“…However, full utilisation of such knowledge is threatened by its marginalisation compared to modern or scientific knowledge. This is mainly because IK is sometimes viewed as archaic, backward, inefficient, primitive and uncivilised (Agrawal 1995 ; Briggs 2005 ; Kelkar 2007 ; Nygren 1999 ). Meanwhile, the tendency by the research community to eulogise scientific rainfall predictions at the expense of indigenous ways of predicting and understanding rainfall patterns can be argued to be further contributing to IK's peripherisation.…”

Integrating Ecology and Poverty Reduction

“…Moreover, we have to consider that access, entitlement and control over assets, resources, or capital (with special attention to natural capital) are often gender based (Flora 2001 ) . Therefore, understanding local knowledge systems, both male and female, and their dynamics is fundamental to discerning the complexities of natural resource management in any household or locality (Kelkar 2007 ) . Analyzing the rural household and its assets and contexts requires seeing them as parts of a larger system.…”