Indigenous techniques for assessing and monitoring range resources in East Africa
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Date
2005Author
Nyariki, D M
Kitalyi, A
Wasonga, V O
Isae, I M
Kyagaba, E
Lugenja, M
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Local knowledge, which refers to a social activity that has been set up primarily as
a result of local initiative, or techniques that are endogenously generated, enforced
and maintained has not been mainstreamed in rangeland development programmes
in the region. This paradigm unfortunately overlooks the fact that local knowledge
and experiences form the basis for local-level decision making in natural resource
management. Recently there has been increasing interest and understanding of
traditional knowledge systems in the fields of ethno-veterinary medicine but not so
in natural resource management. Consequently, the ecological integrity of the rangelands
is deteriorated because of increasing population growth, cultivation, overstocking,
felling of trees, and other unsustainable resource utilization methods. In
recognition of the role of traditional knowledge in natural resource management and
sustainable development, case studies were conducted to document the traditional
methods used to assess and monitor the condition and trend of grazing lands in East
Africa by the Pokot and Il Chamus of Kenya, the Barabaig and Maasai of Tanzania,
and the Bahima and Ateso of Uganda. The results of this study support the theory
of the existence of complementary relationships between traditional techniques and
modern scientific knowledge.
Citation
Nyariki DM, Kitalyi A,Wasonga VO, Isae I, Kyagaba E and Lugenja M. 2005. Indigenous techniques for assessing and monitoring range resources in East Africa. Occasional Paper no.2. Nairobi: World Agroforestry Centre.Publisher
University of Nairobi Department of Range Management, University of Nairobi