Indigenous Knowledge and Importance Presented By: Kailash Soni PGP-2, IIMA

Agenda What is Indigenous knowledge Difference with Scientific/Western Knowledge Threats to indigenous knowledge Biases with the bottom of the pyramid Ways to improve these biases Conservation of Indigenous knowledge

Indigenous knowledge Traditional Knowledge Related to a community or a culture Respect for the earth Contemporary knowledge is also sometimes a part of Indigenous knowledge Decreasing number of traditional group/societies Forests, crops first bred by society then scientific research

Indigenous knowledge Vs Scientific knowledge Methodological and epistemological grounds Contextual grounds Substantive grounds

Threats to indigenous knowledge Prior informed consent considered not necessary Pressures of modernization and cultural homogenization Macro-level problems are supposed to be solved by global pool of knowledge Continued neglect of international institutions of ethical and professional rights of local communities Very few Institutions supportive of grass-root innovations and traditional knowledge

Biases with bottom of the pyramid Low confidence Improper knowledge of their rights Lower Savings Lesser planning to achieve goals Apply indigenous knowledge personally, but very less options of taking them ahead

What can remove these biases Education Formation of institutional windows (like NIF) of opportunity to carry ideas and traditional knowledge To ignore people’s knowledge is almost to ensure failure in development (Brokensha et al. 1980)

Conservation of Indigenous knowledge Documentation, storage in international, regional and national archives Formation of more foundations like NIF which can carry grassroot level innovations ideas forward To ignore people’s knowledge is almost to ensure failure in development (Brokensha et al. 1980)

Thank You