The Role and Value of Local/Traditional Knowledge in Caribbean Small-Scale Food Farming Systems

Abstract

Local knowledge may be defined as dynamic and complex bodies of know-how, practices, and skills that are developed and sustained by peo-ples/communities with shared histories and experiences (Beckford and Barker, 2007, p. 118). It provides a framework for decision-making in a plethora of social, economic, and environmental activities and livelihoods among rural peoples. Local knowledge has played an active role in the lives of rural communities in virtually every part of the world. In the Caribbean, traditional cropping systems based on local and informal knowledge have been practiced since the earliest times when people inhabited the islands. This continued during the slave era, and today local knowledge and practices are still fundamental to contemporary small-scale farming in the region. The legitimacy, relevance, and importance of small-scale farmers’ knowledge of their agro-ecological environment and the implications for food security in the region are undeniable.