Linking institutional research and extension to indigenous knowledge
Mattee, A.Z.|Lassalle,T. / 1994

This paper seeks to describe ways in which the power, resources and expertise of agricultural research and extension institutions can be made to complement the wisdom, resourcefulness and determination of small-scale farmers to improve their socio-economic conditions. These suggestions are based on the experiences of the Uluguru Mountains Agricultural Development Project (UMADEP) based in the Faculty of Agriculture at SUA and implemented in collaboration with the government extension system and the farmers in Mgeta and Mkuyuni divisions. The paper argues that it is logical to link institutional and indigenous knowledge systems since institutional research and extension are supposed to be getting closer to the users' concrete applications, while indigenous knowledge is becoming more universal and transmittable. The paper highlights the problems experienced in merging the two systems together and stresses the neccesity of a communication channel between the two.