Indigenous knowledge is innovative

Lazarus Sauti

Krystyna Swiderska, a senior researcher at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) in London, believes that indigenous knowledge is innovative, not static.

She said protecting it will help food security.

“When policymakers think of innovation they tend to think of laboratories or the spaces where designers and engineers create solutions to pressing problems. But this ignores a more longstanding and widespread form of innovation,” she said.

Swiderska goes on to say: “Communities that live close to nature continually create innovative approaches in farming and other sectors by building on knowledge and practices refined over generations.

“For instance, farmers around the world experiment with local crops to develop varieties that cope better with drought or pests.

“This kind of innovation does not fit easily into policy frameworks. But its value will grow as the climate changes and population increases bring more mouths to feed.”

Swiderska also said the biological and cultural diversity this innovation depends on is in steep decline and modern systems of farming threaten to swamp traditional innovation.

Thus, she urged governments to recognise and protect rights over indigenous knowledge - such as people’s knowledge of how certain plant extracts can treat specific diseases.