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Reflection on indigenous knowledge
An essay about organic farming
Para on organic farming and its advantages
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farmers because they are resource poor to provide costly inputs for enhancing yield. However, the organic farming is low cost, eco-friendly, livelihood security and employment-oriented activity (Dubey Kumar Rajesh 2013).
Majority of the rural dwellers prefer their traditional life and worldviews about their livelihoods. In a way to support people centred sustainable development, indigenous inclusive knowledge must be put in practice. Realistically, the objective of sustainable rural development cannot be achieved without implying the local perception of development held by the indigenous people of a particular community. Indigenous peoples have to be the ultimate recipients of the progress but this has to be done without threatening the indigenous
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To better understand organic farming practices and sustainable livelihood development in indigenous communities, indigenous knowledge must be acknowledged. Indigenous communities generate indigenous knowledge over time, to allow them to understand and cope with their particular agro-ecological and socio-economic environment (Brouwers, 1993). There is general agreement that the concepts ‘Indigenous Knowledge’ (IK), ‘Traditional Knowledge’, ‘Local Knowledge’, ‘Community Knowledge’ and Rural People’s Knowledge are all terms for the knowledge belonging to grass root people. The term indigenous knowledge denotes a type of knowledge that has evolved within the community and it is passed from one generation to another. ‘Indigenous knowledge (IK) refers to the unique, traditional, local knowledge existing within and developed around the specific conditions of women and men indigenous to a particular …show more content…
Of course, local people 's livelihoods and even survival often depend on local and regional natural resources (e.g., Whittingham et al, 2003; Fisher & IUCN, 2005). Organic farming helps to conserve resources not only in the humid tropics, but also in the arid tropics: soils in the arid tropics vary widely according to the climatic and geological conditions. It envisages a comprehensive management approach to improve soil health, the ecosystem of the region and the quality of produce. It includes all agricultural systems that promote environmentally sound production of food and fibres. These systems take local soil fertility as a key to successful production, by respecting the natural capacity of plants, animals and the landscape; they aim to optimize quality in all aspects of agriculture and environment. Much evidence has indicated that organic farming rejuvenates natural resources & re-in lives mother earth that provide a variety of benefits to the
Winona Wheeler’s essay, “Cree Intellectual Traditions in History” analyzes the oral history of First Nations Elders. She specifically questions the identities of the Elders telling their story and how they have attained the stories that they are telling. Wheeler’s thesis is that the Elders are not mere storages of knowledge, they are humans. And as the days go on, few of them remain which makes it even more relevant to take in what they have and pass it on to the newer generations.
Today’s economy and the environment are hurting due to the lack of nurture we have been providing. Conventional farming rules the world of agriculture, but not without a fight from organic farming. Organic farming is seen as the way of farming that might potentially nurture our nature back to health along with the added benefit of improving our own health. With her piece “Organic farming healthier, more efficient than Status Quo,” published in the Kansas State Collegian on September 3, 2013, writer Anurag Muthyam brings forth the importance behind organic farming methods. Muthyam is a senior at Kansas State University working towards a degree in Management. This piece paints the picture of how organic farming methods
...at small farms constitute 90 percent of the world’s farms and employment of 1.3 billion people. This dominates agriculture in developing countries because two-thirds of the 3 billion rural people in the world live off the income generated by farmers managing some 500 million small farms (Halberg & Müller, 2012, p.21). Additionally, there are benefits to land conservation for local communities that involves reduced environmental hazards, improvement of water quality from ground recharge, economic gains from agricultural production from exporting, and the natural settings that bring tourism generating the economy (McMahon & Urban, 2010 p.2). It is only through the awareness of this informational insight into the differences between community types and their transitions throughout time that the public can explore and discover economic incentives for rural communities.
Indigenous people have identified themselves with country; they believe that they and the land are “one”, and that it is lived in and lived with. Indigenous people personify country as if it were a person, as something that connects itself to the land, people and earth, being able to give and receive life (Bird Rose, D. 1996). Country is sacred and interconnected within the indigenous community,
The approach describes all the modern-day strategies developed and designed to support and enable the capability of the native communities in sustaining the friendly way of interacting with the environment. The description provides a clear picture of indigenous food systems in supporting the direct and indirect transfer of energy to the modern agriculture-based economy that was industrialized and developed by the settlers through the process of colonization (Working Group on Indigenous Food Sovereignty ). Embracing indigenous foods, the indigenous ways of food production, and agriculture is important especially in the contemporary society where genetically modified foods have resulted in negative health impacts, food insecurity, and development of environmental non-friendly policies in agriculture and food
The amount of foodstuffs produced by organic farms does not meet the demand of the population, which is the main objective of farming. Observing the United States of America alone and using myself as the average American we
Indigenous knowledge has contributed to countless improvements that exist today, especially fire management, allowing modern day civilizations to use the indigenous knowledge to improve the surrounding lands.
For years organic farmers and conventional farmers have feuded over which is superior. Organic farmers argue that their product is more eco-friendly because they do not use the synthetic chemicals and fertilizers conventional farmer’s use. Conventional farmers argue that their product is healthier and yields more. People tend to have stereotypes regarding the two types of farmers. Organic farmers are usually thought of as liberal, hippy, tree-huggers while conventional farmers are usually thought of as right-wing, industrialists. Obviously, some do adhere to this stereotype, but a majority of these farmers are normal, hardworking people. Although these farmers, both believe in their methods, one is no better than the other. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, but there is no true superior method of crop farming.
A study of 362 datasets found that organic agriculture produces 80% of conventional yield with 21% standard deviation (Tomek et al. 2012). Second, organic farming requires less energy input which equates to less money spend from the farmers in addition to lowering carbon emissions. A study by the Department of Environment shows that organic agriculture uses 25 percent less than energy than their chemical counterparts, and certain crops like organic leeks and broccoli use 58 and 49 percent less, respectively (Bialis et al. 2013). Third, organic farming does not use pesticides. According to the World Health Center, 20,000 people die annually from the exposure of pesticides (Costa et al. 2014). Fourth, the methods that organic farmers use are better for the environment in the long run. And lastly, organic farming creates more jobs. A study done in United Kingdom shows 93,000 jobs could be created if Britain were to make a full scale shift to organic farming (Herro 2006). Although conventional agriculture is the primary producer for food currently, a large scale shift to organic agriculture is better suited to feed the world because organic agriculture can produce at adequate yield, requires less energy input, do not use
The authority and right of a group of people over a land becomes questionable through the passage of time; individuals and nations that have established a relation with a land and country long ago may not always be understood by the recent settlers. This fact is a reason why indigenous people have to represent their heritage and history and resist struggles and challenges. Indigenous people may not be entitled to a precise definition, as the term covers many cases and situations. However, the universal understanding would speak of the people who have oldest ties with a land, prior to the settling of people of other continents.
Through the years they learned how to work with what the environment produced. Land Management The Indigenous people knew how to manage their land and take care of it. Indigenous people have been able to protect their land for over 40,000 years. The land they use provides them with primary resources for example like clothes, food, building materials and other everyday resources they need to stay sustainable.
Western knowledge systems and Aboriginal Knowledge system both are traditional knowledge systems. Western knowledge systems have main elements of observation and analysis, while Aboriginal knowledge system have holistic and relationship main elements. Both traditional knowledge systems have their advantages and disadvantages. Although elements distinguish the systems from each other they both integrate as they develop.
Indigenous Knowledge (IK) can be broadly defined as the knowledge and skills that an indigenous (local) community accumulates over generations of living in a particular environment. IK is unique to given cultures, localities and societies and is acquired through daily experience. It is embedded in community practices, institutions, relationships and rituals. Because IK is based on, and is deeply embedded in local experience and historic reality, it is therefore unique to that specific culture; it also plays an important role in defining the identity of the community. Similarly, since IK has developed over the centuries of experimentation on how to adapt to local conditions. That is Indigenous ways of knowing informs their ways of being. Accordingly IK is integrated and driven from multiple sources; traditional teachings, empirical observations and revelations handed down generations. Under IK, language, gestures and cultural codes are in harmony. Similarly, language, symbols and family structure are interrelated. For example, First Nation had a
Today agriculture is the livelihood of most poor underdeveloped nations. This communal life blood provides a majority of the population with a source of employment, nourishment and income. It is considered to be an invaluable skill, that is taught down from generation to generation along with a sense of respect for the environment. However as a nation begins to undergo development, so do their food production systems. The country's newfound development causes significant restructuring of their agricultural production practices. This restructuring leads to poor environmental practices, and adverse agriculture methods. Increased economic development/production negatively affects a country's environmental and agricultural health.
...ers in future. Thirdly, we can import professional trainers from other countries who have better technologies and have better crop production. For instance, countries like China, India, United States of America, Indonesia and Brazil are successful in this field and trainers from these countries are capable of training our local organic farmers for better improvement of agricultural sector. Fourthly, study trip to organic farms can be carried out for both scholars and farmers as a fun way to learn and appreciate the enormous benefits that it could provide to environment. Last but not least, law enforcement should be implemented in our country so that the land which has been abandoned could be utilized efficiently. Since countries which do not practice organic farming are deprived from many benefits, as such, the role of organic farming should not be under-estimated.