Research-Farmer interface: a place for ITK in Kenya

The frequent food insecurity in the third world is a stub on the face of mankind all over the world. From this outlook, the author challenges both the more developed and the less developed to use their diverse knowledge bases (modern knowledge and ITK) to face the reality that there is no peace where there is no food. Education as the engine of development can also become a discriminatory tool through ignorance on the peoples knowledge resulting in partial or unsustainable development, usually for the few capable ones. The notion that Farmer do not know has been overtaken by events since they know how to survive in the face of calamity, be it pest and disease outbreak or erratic rains. There is need for a change of approach where researchers use their scientific knowledge to help farmers utilize their indigenous technical knowledge to reduce such calamities. The vision in Research Farmer Interface brings them to work together as partners which makes the outcome more relevant and appropriate based on the evaluation criteria applied by the two knowledge systems. In that way, adoption is on a wider scale resulting to more in the community benefiting from the technology.

Autorentext

Christopher Mugo Ngatia,has MSc from Reading University, UK. He has worked in the Post Harvest Management in Crop Health Program in KARI for almost four decades. A consultant for the Pest Management Association of Kenya and evaluates pest control products before they are registered by Pest Control Products Board. Sits in KeBs Technical Committee.