Building on local knowledge: The challenge of agroforestry for pastoral areas

Edmund Barrow, who has worked with East African pastoralists for more than 15 years, believes that pastoral communities have a lot to offer agroforesters. The value of their indigenous knowledge is at last being recognised by researchers and development workers. But there was a time when much of it was ignored. Here he shares some of his experience. (author)

This paper deals with the disappearance of indigenous ecological knowledge of pastoral peoples in dryland Africa. Specifically dealt with are the Pokot of Kenya, The Sukuma of Tanzania, and the Turkana also of Kenya. The paper focuses on the intrinsic environmental knowledge that pastoralists have because of their isolation and harsh living conditions.