OVERVIEW OF THE STATUS OF INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE (IK) APPLICATION BY COMMUNITIES (Experience Sharing, Uganda)

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OVERVIEW OF THE STATUS OF INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE
(IK) APPLICATION BY COMMUNITIES(Experience
Sharing, Uganda)

• Augustine Bazaale
• Uganda Indigenous Knowledge Information Society
  (UGIKIS)
• March 28 April 1, 2005

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IntroductionThis presentation will attempt at
what we have crudely called The economics of IK

• Population in Uganda is 26.6 million
• Literacy level is 68
• Gender ratio is 95 males to 100 females
• Use of firewood 97
• No electricity 92
• Children below 18 years 56
• Engage in agriculture 77
• Have radio 48
• Access to safe drinking water 61

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Agriculture

• The Senono Example
• Mr. Christopher Senono is a farmer in Nakaseke,
  Luweero District. Practises agro-forestry, uses
  organic farming methods. He is able to show in
  terms of figures, how much he spends and how much
  he earns and the net income.

Expenditure Urine 310,000 Dropping 300,000 Pepp
er 176,000 Ash 60,000 Bisagazi
50,000 Coffee husks 60,000 Banana peels
60,000 Labour 240,000 Total
1,156,000
Income Banana 2,400,000 Passion fruit
60,000 Oranges
50,000 Egg-plants
60,000 Beans 310,000
Mangoes 60,000 Kiroowa
80,000 Total
3,081,000
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Agriculture

• Interpretation
• the net income from Mr. Senono in a year is Ug.
  Shs 1,925,000 (US 1,100)
• On a daily basis he earns US 3.005
• This is above the abject poverty level
• IK is easily got and effective.

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Agriculture

• Katumba Example
• Mr. Israel Katumba is a farmer in Nakaseke,
  Luweero District. He has been able to convert
  saline and rocky soils into arable soils and
  presently he makes rich harvest of banana, which
  he sells to add to his income.

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Agriculture

• Katumba Example
• Mr. Israel Katumba rears both cattle and pigs
  and also does banana farming. He made a trunk
  that channels the animal urine into a tank they
  get the urine from this tank to go and apply it
  to the plantation.
• The droppings of the animals are also collected
  and applied to the plantation
• The banana peels are given to feed the cattle
  and cassave to feed the pigs
• He earns over 300,000 per month, that is
  3,600,000 p.a.

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Health

• Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA)
• TBAs work in partnership with Bio-medical
  Doctors. TBA is provided with communication
  equipment, so that if the intervention of the TBA
  proves hard, quickly communicates to the Hospital
  for an ambulance of for professional medical
  workers to come. This has reduced the Maternal
  mortality rate

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Health

• Dr Jjuuko Ndawula Example
• Packaging and processing of Herbal therapies to
  treat all kinds of diseases. These include
  HIV/AIDS opportunistic diseases, TB, malaria,
  Cancer
• Herbal Farming to meet the market demand

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Natural Resource Mangement

• Dr. Sekagya Example
• Dr. Sekagya is a dental surgion by training. He
  is works for PROMETRA (Uganda) who practices
  traditional medicine, and he has set up a
  training centre for herbalists and traditional
  healers in the forest itself.
• This centre promotes sustainable tree harvesting
• He has also been able to domesticate some wild
  medicinal species and are being multiplied and
  preserved
• The has a herbal farm.

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Natural Resource Management

• Nakayima Tree
• Beliefs have sustained the life of a tree
  believed to have mysterious powers of a deity.

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Challenges

• Demand market versus the supply market
• Demand market
• 85 of Ugandans use herbal medicine
• over 70 of the farmers apply organic manure
  Nakavundira to the farms
• 97 use firewood, therefore tree cutting is
  eminent
• Researchers are getting more interested in the
  local approaches to addressing development
  concerns

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Challenges

• The Supply market
• There is need for standardisation of IK Practices
  so as to fit on the local and international
  market
• There is need for critical mass of producers/
  practitioners who, as of now are very few
• Sclae up production and have specialised herbal
  farming on large scale
• Establish and encourage investment in the areas
  of herbal cottage industries, agro-processing
  industry, and herbal farming
• This will add to the GDP and will create
  employment opportunities

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Challenges

• Labour market
• There is need for professionalising IK
  practice, this means that the question of
  legitimacy for IK is crucial for each country to
  consider.
• There need for full time workers who earn their
  living by and through IK practicing.

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Challenges

• Ownership market
• The Intellectual Property Rights legislations
  should be concluded and
• Our countries accede to TRIPS Agreement
• There is economic benefit in protecting local
  knowledge
• Partneship with modern mode of knowledge sysems
  should be encouraged.

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THE ENDThanks for your Attention