Knowledge Management Strategy for Indigenous Knowledge on Land Use and Agricultural Development in Western Ethiopia

Abstract

Knowledge plays a great role whenever there is change and growths follow a complex field and competitive. Agriculture in Ethiopia today is such field. Encouraging knowledge in this field is a critical point in the transformation of agricultural sector in Ethiopia. Also managing knowledge within the communities enhances agricultural development. Therefore the main aim of this study is to develop knowledge management strategy in managing indigenous knowledge of land use and agricultural development in western Ethiopia, Ilu Aba Bora zone which is crucial to enhance management of agricultural indigenous knowledge and land Data was collected using focus group discussion, questionnaire, information mapping from local communities, extension officers and land management officers of Ilu Aba Bora Zone. The result of the study revealed that local communities had various IK on land use and agricultural development. However, this knowledge was not acquired, developed, shared and preserved well. The major barriers to indigenous knowledge of land use and agricultural development in the local communities include poor knowledge sharing culture, lack of IK records, lack of trust, no interest to receive IK by younger generation, oral transfer of IK, change of life style and poor recognition of IK. Further research works are recommended to enhance management of indigenous knowledge of local communities.

Endangered indigenous knowledge: Assessing locally adopted tree conservation practices in Aleta Wondo district, Sidama regional state, Ethiopia

“…This study is found to be congruent with [ 20 ] finding that confirmed Abbo religious practice in Wonsho has a great contribution to the conservation of biodiversity in the region of his focus [ 11 ]. On his part, confirmed that a sacred area is forested and is associated with deities' (mostly ancestral spirits') rituals and taboos [ 28 , 30 ]. similarly, asserted that in traditional protected areas not only trees but also wildlife are safeguarded because of their sacredness or spiritual significance to custodian communities.…”

Integration of local knowledge systems and decision on land use allocation among rural households in South Africa

“…It plays a cardinal role in the process of economic development in the agro-based contextual setting and offers household food security (DAFF, 2020). The study carried out by Mosissa et al (2017) reported the advantages of indigenous knowledge of the local environment for the farming communities. The study by Guerrero-Gatica et al (2020) indicate that environmental knowledge system-based assessments are obligatory for the holistic appraisals and informed decision-making about environmental resources.…”

Indigenous agricultural knowledge: A neglected human based resource for sustainable crop protection and production

“…As an agrarian community, Ethiopian farmers also use a number of indigenous agricultural practices as adaptation and mitigation strategies for the changing climate and to reverse the adverse effect of pests and diseases [ 10 , 11 ]. However, due to modern-day technological advancement, indigenous agricultural knowledge has been gradually neglected and disregarded on the pretext of being not-scientifically based [ 12 ].…”

“…This attempt causes an enormous decline in using indigenous knowledge and has made an enormous replacement as well by the contemporary agricultural techniques [ 13 , 14 ]. These situations are partly due to some barriers to the successful acquisition of indigenous agricultural knowledge such as failure to recognition of IAR, improper documentation and communication of IAK, which have been leading to intergenerational information gaps [ 10 , 13 ].…”