Abstract
Traditional knowledge has made appreciable contributions to people’s sustenance and livelihoods. Its contribution to science and technology is however not recorded, codified, stored or systematized to spur knowledge sharing and science and technology development. It continues to be ordinary, couched and associated with low prestige rural life. An innovation systems framework was used to study the dynamics and mechanism for product, process and organizational innovations in the cassava production systems. The research study revealed that though some traditional knowledge driven innovations may be risky to health and environment; many made a positive contribution to people’s sustenance and livelihoods through production of innovative goods and services, improved livelihoods, sustenance, food safety and wholesomeness. The main argument in this study was that innovation strategies rooted in the traditional knowledge systems were socially inclusive and augurs sustainable development. The study underscored the value of creating systemic linkages useful in integrating traditional and modern knowledge systems to develop crop production systems. Key words: Cassava production systems, rural livelihoods, social inclusion, systems linkages, traditional knowledge.
Highlights
There has been an obsession with external sources of innovation embodied in imported technologies (Hall andNahdy, 1999) and machinery as a panacea to development problems; as is reflected in the strategy documents such as the Plan for Modernization of Agriculture (PMA) (MAAIF, 2000; MAAIF and MoFPED, 2000) and the National Agriculture Advisory Services (NAADS, 2001)
At onset we argue that ignorance of innovation activities within the traditional knowledge systems constitute missed opportunities for intensive social, cultural and economic transformation
How the traditional knowledge is applied upon natural and social phenomena for sustenance and livelihoods? What opportunities exist for integration with modern knowledge? What linkages should be established and how this should be done? The information presented in this paper was obtained through case study of cassava production systems in Arua district of Uganda
Summary
There has been an obsession with external sources of innovation embodied in imported technologies It is further shown that subsistence agricultural production systems draw on traditional knowledge during production activities and have made significant contribution to community sustenance and livelihood, and even thrived This is based on the premise that the prosperity of any production system depends on its productivity and value created, and that innovation plays a central role in productivity enhancement and value creation. Various factors affect choice of production possibilities (Gans and Stern, 2003; Natario et al, 2011), including the social, economic, cultural setting of the community, physical environment, land use knowledge systems (Mikkelsen and Langohr, 2004); and technological innovation capacitya (Sharif, 2005; Asheim, 2007; Borras, 2011; Natario et al, 2011). How the traditional knowledge is applied upon natural and social phenomena for sustenance and livelihoods? What opportunities exist for integration with modern knowledge? What linkages should be established and how this should be done? The information presented in this paper was obtained through case study of cassava production systems in Arua district of Uganda
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