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Institutionalization of Indigenous Knowledge Research for Development: Institute of Indigenous Knowledge (IIK)
Knowledge of traditional medicine and other indigenous knowledge systems are fragile with inadequate appreciation, recognition and sharing of it, especially the area of traditional medicine and medicinal species, a direct utilization of high biodiversity, are most at risk and undermined in most development interventions. The indigenous knowledge sector in most developing countries is under-regulated and not well mainstreamed in national plans for agriculture, environment - biodiversity, climate adaptation, poverty reduction and healthcare provision. Furthermore, traditional healers and their medicines face stigmatization as the topic and practices remain familial, artisanal, mystified and controversial despite their widespread use. The proposed Institute of Indigenous Knowledge (IIK) pools together expertise within Africa and beyond who will capture, document, research and generate as well as share knowledge of useful IK practices, their usage in the contemporary context and thereby preserve the information and promote their wider application.
Indigenous knowledge technologies and science are the root source and now contributing to the development a wide range of fields like agriculture, food science, health, social sciences, construction, and engineering. Centres of Excellences in the integration of Indigenous Knowledge (IIK) are few and I have realized that such centres would contribute greatly to the understanding of the vast traditional agricultural systems and finding methods to transform them to reach a wider development impact. My Idea is to enhance the universities’ role by adding a discipline to the range of universities research and teaching namely the studies of indigenous systems, science and technologies for development. This proposal is an attempt to present a model Institute of Indigenous Knowledge (IIK) to provide a basis for discussion to this group and beyond. I like to share with you this model as one of the possible pathway to transform agricultural knowledge into development impact. The Institute will cover a wide range of areas, including, but not limited to those above.
Develop curricula and teach indigenous knowledge technologies and science in agriculture as the subject at university level
Documentation and dissemination of Indigenous Knowledge in various fields
Development of theoretical and methodological paradigms within which to understand the specific characteristics of Indigenous Knowledge Systems
Develop academic and community level research capacity in the various field of IK in Uganda and beyond.
Provide the interface with other systems of knowledge
Fund raise for IK related research, industrial development and training
Generate income options for communities and industries using IK systems
Education, Training, and Capacity Building:
Develop course units for educating students IKS in development, medicine and education as introductory course
Develop and conduct education and training programmes and design curriculum materials on indigenous knowledge for inclusion in the curricula of formal schools and for use by extension and other development workers.
Strengthen and consolidate IK training resources, and provide training and technical assistance to practitioners, developers and researchers.
Community outreach for Knowledge Sharing and dissemination
Conducting summer schools and international student and staff exchange.
Research, Development and Utilization:
Conduct inter-disciplinary research on indigenous knowledge systems
Initiate long-term efforts to promote and utilize indigenous knowledge for social, economic, cultural and educational development in Uganda
Conduct research on the transfer of indigenous knowledge and innovations from one area to another.
Integration of IK in the various professional fields (Medicine, Agriculture, Construction, Art and Crafts, Social services, Business Studies).
Mainstreaming IK related approaches in to the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), Uganda's Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP), Plan for Modernization of Agriculture (PMA) and other national development strategies
To develop appropriate systems for validating the safety and efficacy of IK technologies
Policy research on intellectual property, equitable benefits sharing and information transfer systems.
To adopt IK technologies for appropriate technology transfer and commercialization processes of structures for the equitable and fair utilization of IK innovations.
Collection, Documentation, and Dissemination:
Indigenous knowledge that has been passed from generation to generation by word of mouth will slowly cease to exist unless it is formally documented and preserved. Documentation also facilitates easy access to indigenous knowledge so that those interested could familiarize themselves with it.
Act as a clearinghouse for collecting, documenting, preserving and disseminating information on indigenous knowledge systems of various communities in Uganda.
Publicize IK activities and services through publications, exhibitions, workshops and conferences.
Exhibition of Ugandan art and crafts for promoting of the expression of culture and income generating activities.
The innovation is in the initial development stage and preliminary results are that the demand is ready see as two Ph.D. students expressed interest to study and as various people expressed interest to become staff of the future institute. The university's top management has welcomed the innovation and looking forward for its implementation.
Useful Indigenous Knowlegde Technologies and practices are rarely integrated in the mainstream education schooling, tertiary education and higher education. The Institute's mandate is to conduct research on useful indigenous systems, verify and integrate proven technologies in the curriculum development of various education Institutions
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