Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Tacit knowledge is possessed and subconsciously understood only by an indi-
vidual from direct experience and action, but is difficult to transfer to another person
by means of writing it down or verbalizing it via words and symbols, and is usually
shared through highly interactive conversation, storytelling, and shared experience
(Ellen et al. 2000). Its transfer is very sensitive to social context.
5.6.1
c
oncePtualIzatIon
F
rameWorK
For
m
anagement
oF
e
xPlIcIt
tK
1. Repositories for accumulation and storage of explicit TK
2. Refinery for organization, creation of new knowledge, and sharing knowledge
3. Knowledge management function
4. Information technologies to support storage and archival of data
Any choice and decision with regard to the practices/technology solely rest with the
community itself and cannot be made by outsiders.
5.7 CONCLUSION
Knowledge structures and institutions provide the context for interpreting accumu-
lated content, but these have been weakened by ushering in ST. Soils face many envi-
ronmental changes and shocks from which they will recover or to which they will
adjust if sufficient “pedological” time is allowed. Because of interest in short-term
benefits to meet needs for improved livelihoods, farmers adopt soil management
practices that promise a lot of benefits in a short time frame but are unsustainable
in the long term leading to a declining soil health and negatively impacting human
livelihoods. The resilience of the soil in terms of human expectations and time
frames will depend on its ability to recover to an equilibrium state once improved
practices have been extensively applied. Appropriate policies, methods for theory
and knowledge development, learning, training, and research that enhance diversity,
revitalization, and coevolution of different ways of knowing, TK-based endogenous
development processes for conventional scientists, intergenerational transmission
of knowledge, and joint learning for sustainable soil management are essential for
enhancing resilience of soils in SubSaharan Africa. TK targeted toward policy goals
will be the key to ensuring that societies realize the true value of ecosystem services,
sooner rather than later. It should present to policy makers consequences of decisions
(e.g., ignoring TK).
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank the farmers, extension workers, local government, and students Geofrey
Gabiri and Robert Kaliisa, who helped with organizing the references.
ABBREVIATIONS
ASALs:
arid and semiarid lands
CA:
conservation agriculture
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