Indigenous Knowledge Systems For Sustainable Rural Development In North East India

Monograph on traditional knowhow and information dissemination systems used by indigenous peoples and their potential role in rural development - presents case studies in the agricultural sector, discusses research methods for the study of ethnoscience, ethnolinguistics, etc. Bibliography pp. 409 to 443 and diagrams.

This book discusses the vital importance of including indigenous knowledges in the sustainable development agenda. In the wake of colonialism and imperialism, dialogue between indigenous knowledges and Western epistemology has broken down time and again. However, in recent decades the broader indigenous struggle for rights and recognition has led to a better understanding of indigenous knowledges, and in 2015 the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined the importance of indigenous engagement in contributing to the implementation of the agenda. Drawing on experiences and field work from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe, Indigenous Knowledges and the Sustainable Development Agenda brings together authors who explore social, educational, institutional and ecological sustainability in relation to indigenous knowledges. In doing so, this book provides a comprehensive understanding of the concept of "sustainability", at both national and international levels, from a range of diverse perspectives. As the decolonizing debate gathers pace within mainstream academic discourse, this book offers an important contribution to scholars across development studies, environmental studies, education, and political ecology.

This volume contains a selection of papers written for two conferences: "Changing values and attitudes of agricultural research and extension towards indigenous agricultural knowledge systems" in Amsterdam, 1988 and "Indigenous knowledge systems: implications for agriculture and international knowledge systems" in Washington, 1988

The North-eastern states of India are ethnically and culturally very rich and distinct from the rest of the country. They are inhabited by a majority of the indigenous communities and have a variety of ecosystems. These groups have their own ancient traditional systems of using and managing the natural resources on a sustainable basis. But, unfortunately, in the name of development, their bio-cultural diversity is deteriorated day-by-day. To explore ways to address this problem, Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology organized a conference, and this book is the collection of the updated version of the papers presented at the conference. The contributors deliberate on linkage between environmental quality and economic growth, role of agro-processing industries in sustainable development, economic viability of horticulture, indigenous agricultural systems, vermitech, and mainstreaming of climate change through community-based forest management. They also deal with sacred values and bio-diversity conservation, sustainable rural livelihoods, fog-water harvesting, women entrepreneurship, applications of fuel-cell systems, ecotourism and gender perspective of development in the region.

This collection makes a unique contribution towards the amplification of indigenous knowledge and learning by adopting an inter/trans-disciplinary approach to the subject that considers a variety of spaces of engagement around knowledge in Asia and Africa.