Jacobi Johanna, Mathez-Stiefel Sarah-Lan, Gambon Helen, Rist Stephan, Altieri Miguel
Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, 25 Hilgard Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3114, USA.
Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, Hallerstrasse 10, Bern, 3012, Switzerland.
Environ Manage. 2017 Mar;59(3):464-476. doi: 10.1007/s00267-016-0805-0. Epub 2016 Dec 31.
Agroforestry often relies on local knowledge, which is gaining recognition in development projects. However, how local knowledge can articulate with external and scientific knowledge is little known. Our study explored the use and integration of local and external knowledge in agroforestry projects in Bolivia. In 42 field visits and 62 interviews with agroforestry farmers, civil society representatives, and policymakers, we found a diverse knowledge base. We examined how local and external knowledge contribute to livelihood assets and tree and crop diversity. Projects based predominantly on external knowledge tended to promote a single combination of tree and crop species and targeted mainly financial capital, whereas projects with a local or mixed knowledge base tended to focus on food security and increased natural capital (e.g., soil restoration) and used a higher diversity of trees and crops than those with an external knowledge base. The integration of different forms of knowledge can enable farmers to better cope with new challenges emerging as a result of climate change, fluctuating market prices for cash crops, and surrounding destructive land use strategies such as uncontrolled fires and aerial fumigation with herbicides. However, many projects still tended to prioritize external knowledge and undervalue local knowledge-a tendency that has long been institutionalized in the formal educational system and in extension services. More dialogue is needed between different forms of knowledge, which can be promoted by strengthening local organizations and their networks, reforming agricultural educational institutions, and working in close interaction with policymakers.
农林业通常依赖当地知识，这种知识在发展项目中日益得到认可。然而，当地知识如何与外部知识和科学知识相结合却鲜为人知。我们的研究探讨了玻利维亚农林业项目中当地知识与外部知识的运用及整合情况。通过对农林业农户、民间社会代表和政策制定者进行42次实地走访及62次访谈，我们发现了一个多样化的知识基础。我们研究了当地知识和外部知识如何促进生计资产以及树木和作物的多样性。主要基于外部知识的项目往往倾向于推广单一的树木和作物品种组合，且主要针对金融资本，而具有当地或混合知识基础的项目则倾向于关注粮食安全并增加自然资本（如土壤恢复），并且所使用的树木和作物品种比基于外部知识的项目更为多样。整合不同形式的知识能够使农民更好地应对气候变化、经济作物市场价格波动以及周边诸如失控火灾和除草剂空中熏蒸等破坏性土地利用策略所带来的新挑战。然而，许多项目仍然倾向于优先考虑外部知识而低估当地知识——这种倾向在正规教育系统和推广服务中早已制度化。不同形式的知识之间需要更多对话，这可以通过加强当地组织及其网络、改革农业教育机构以及与政策制定者密切互动来推动。
