Implications of the breakdown in the indigenous knowledge system for rangeland management and policy: a case study from the Eastern Cape in South Africa

Implications of the breakdown in the indigenous knowledge system for rangeland management and policy: a case study from the Eastern Cape in South Africa

Finca, Andiswa (Agricultural Research Council)
Linnane, Suzanne (Dundalk Institute of Technology)
Slinger, J (TU Delft Policy Analysis)
Getty, David (Dundalk Institute of Technology)
Samuels, M. Igshaan (Agricultural Research Council)

2023-02-23

Communal rangelands in South Africa are generally perceived as overgrazed owing to complexities in their histories and collective utilisation which often leads to improper management. A suitable solution has not been found in land management policies because local people’s contexts and their indigenous knowledge are ignored. Hence, this paper is aimed at (i) assessing the role indigenous knowledge can play in communal rangeland management, (ii) exploring working solutions to incorporate indigenous knowledge into effective communal rangeland management and land use policies, (iii) assessing mechanisms for generational transfer of indigenous knowledge. Findings from the Participatory Geographic Information System (PGIS) and Focus Group Discussion, conducted with Cata and Guquka villages in the Eastern Cape province were synthesised. This revealed that communal farmers have in-depth knowledge of their communal land, past and present rangeland management strategies and changes in rangeland condition. However, there is breakdown in the indigenous knowledge system whereby this knowledge is not being transferred and translated into good rangeland management practice, owing to the ageing population of communal farmers, limited youth involvement in livestock farming and limited access to extension services. This suggests a need for new policy approaches that would include participation of local people in policy planning and development.

indigenous knowledge
communal rangelands
policy
participatory GIS

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:bb85e0b2-c199-47ea-b02e-b9cd20d370fc

https://doi.org/10.2989/10220119.2022.2138973

2023-09-27

1022-0119

African Journal of Range & Forage Science, 40 (1), 47-61

Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2023 Andiswa Finca, Suzanne Linnane, J Slinger, David Getty, M. Igshaan Samuels