Indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) and sustainable agriculture: the case of sorghum production in Lesotho

Abstract

The research whose results are presented in this paper sought to investigate the use of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) in the production of sorghum by Basotho farmers. Participatory research methods were employed to facilitate the sampled communities to document and discuss their use of indigenous knowledge in sorghum production. The researchers were facilitators only in this process while some of the community members were research assistants in order make this research process to be community driven. Assessment of temporal variations in the study indicated that the indigenous knowledge systems had undergone continual changes as new innovations and resources became available and others dwindled in the communities. This flexibility facilitated the establishment of local knowledge systems (LKS) that reflected both temporal and spatial variations and regional specificities. Moreover, the indigenous knowledge was reported to be under threat of extinction, not only partly due to western cultural and scientific imperialism, but also because of the oral tradition through which it is passed from one generation to the other and recorded in the people’s heads and practices without written documentation. The research also found that indigenous knowledge systems used in sorghum production and management were environmentally driven. The various plants, trees, animals and implements used to drive various techniques and technologies were sourced within the local environment of the communities. Moreover, the indigenous knowledge systems were culturally driven. They were ocastrated and executed within the rubric of Sesotho culture — Bosotho. Furthermore, the indigenous knowledge systems emphasized the concept and practice of African Communalism where the sharing of resources within the community was central to the welfare of all members. Lastly, indigenous knowledge systems were also gender sensitive. The multiple differential roles and tasks performed in sorghum production and management were based on a socially-derived division of labour between women and men.