WIREDGOV

Between 1994 and 2011, South Africa transferred over 6.8 million hectares of land to people dispossessed under apartheid, according to official figures. As a result of the ongoing land reforms, increasing numbers of livestock are owned by African smallholders. The ESRC-funded research project 'African Local Knowledge and Livestock Health' aimed to gain insights into local knowledge about livestock diseases and treatments, and assess how this has evolved over time.

Top-down development projects and government interventions in rural African communities have not always had the intended impact. The project instead took a bottom-up approach grounded in local communities and provided information about livestock health - supplemented by conversations with scientists and government officials.

Professor William Beinart and Dr Karen Brown from the University of Oxford researched over a four year period in rural South African communities on local knowledge about livestock management, the spread of disease, traditional medicines and veterinary ideas. They carried out over 200 interviews with smallholders, livestock owners and practitioners in North West Province, Free State and the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Researchers and villagers discussed local knowledge of alternative treatment of diseases, differences between local and biomedical treatment, and access to cheaper modern therapeutics.

By prompting a grassroots dialogue, there was an increase in local knowledge of cattle diseases, including transmission and treatment. For instance, a livestock-dipping day facilitated by the researchers took place in a village following discussions about tick control. Over 600 cattle were dipped. On a subsequent visit nine months later it was found that dipping had continued.

The Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture and Rural Development veterinary section had started an 'Indigenous Knowledge' research initiative into which the researchers fed papers based on their findings. Further workshops with officers of the department's provincial veterinary service were also undertaken to develop ideas about incorporating local knowledge in veterinary policy and practice.

"This research project with Dr Karen Brown required a particularly steep learning curve, as we had to learn something about veterinary science and animals diseases as well as African understanding of health and healing," says Professor Beinart.

"We found the engagement with rural communities very valuable, and hope that our talks and research publication - entitled African Local Knowledge - will prompt a fuller dialogue between science and local knowledge."

Further information

• African Local Knowledge - summary report (PDF, African Studies Centre)
• Strategies to reduce animal disease in Africa (University of Oxford)
• William Beinart's publications (African Studies Centre)