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Globalising Knowledge-I |
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Reverse Globalisation |
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Andrey Saltan, an outstanding ceramic potter from Siberia shared centuries old knowledge of making ceramic pots with potters of Rajkot and learnt about local traditions - A globalisation with a difference. The entire human evolution can be traced to the effort by human mind to share the fruits of one’s labour, rather openly. While restrictions may have existed in different forms in history, the spillover effects of even restricted knowledge have really fertilised the imagination of even excluded sections. In this section, examples from different parts of the world are given to illustrate the reach of the Honey Bee newsletter. A Buddhist Native American lady, Janus Blue from the Aztec community in New Mexico would have to walk sometimes eight to ten km to post us a letter. Similarly, Vilas Karve, a junior employee of bus transport agency of Mumbai [West] living in a single room house on second floor did experiments on tricycle, stepney for cycle to improve the functional efficiency of poor people carrying heavy load. Not in every case, we could help enough. The openness with which colleagues around the world have shared their insights is a unique part of social and ethical capital of the Honey Bee Network. An IT professional from Switzerland shares his innovation in the lawn-mower and a Japanese Professor learned about the medicinal uses of plants by studying the self-healing behaviour of apes in African forests. Lateral learning around the world Lateral learning around the world Increasing soil productivity by shock wave effect - A Russian Innovation The method is based on using air-shock waves of low intensity generated by special equipment mounted on a tractor. The shock waves directed at the soil surface speed up the vital activity of soil bacteria and promote a drastic increase of their number that results in an increase in the content of nutrients and hence in soil productivity. The mass of the mounted equipment is about 1000 kg. The method has no analogues in world practice. A ten per cent increase of crop germination and capacity leads to a shortening of crop ripening period. In contrast to chemical method of soil cultivation, this method ensures production of ecologically pure food products. Source: The Ministry of Science and Technology, Policy of the Russian Federation, Russia and World: Science and Technology (Ecolink) journal. Vol 10(3) Jul- Sep 1999 Innovations from the hills of Bhutan L. Sharma 1. Enhancing Puberty (a) Common Salt: Salt is given to domestic animals during ovulation to increase heat. Once the animal has been inseminated, salt is restricted for about three weeks to prevent abortion. (b) Pigeon dropping is powdered and fed to sterile cows to induce heat. The animals have been found to respond after three or four doses in as many months. 2. Storing of Green Vegetables A pit, its size depends on the quantity of the surplus green vegetables and radish to be stored, is dug in the ground and warmed by burning twigs in it. Alternate layers of smashed radish and green vegetables are filled in the pit; all voids are filled by pouring warm water and the vegetables compressed by the pressure of stamping feet. Once full, the pit is made air-tight by covering it with soil and hay. The vegetables are allowed to ferment for about three weeks and then taken out and dried. Vegetables treated in this way can be stored for over a year under ordinary conditions to supplement the requirements in lean seasons. Vol 4(2&3) Apr-Sep 1993 Managing livestock by-products in Iran Mohammad Amiri Ardakani and Mohammad Hossein Emadi The experiences of Iranian stockbreeders are a rich source of knowledge about optimum utilisation of livestock by-products. Animal Husbandry has been practiced in Iran for more than 9500 years (Hunter and Whitten, 1976). Over this period, Iranian stockbreeders have accumulated a lot of knowledge in this field. Manure is considered to differ in their nature and properties depending on the animal, its food ration and nutrition quality. Since poultry manure is considered very strong, it is never used on its own. Manure of donkey, sheep, horse and mule are “warm†and cow’s manure is “coolâ€. Camel urine is sprayed on clothes to kill moth. The smoke produced by burning the manure is used to repel mosquitoes. Hunter, D. and Whitten. (1976). Encyclopedia of Anthropology, New York: Harper & Row, p. 131. Vol 16(4) Oct-Dec 2005 Organic farmers innovate: Austrian experience Farmers’ experiments and research have been an integral part of farming activities throughout the world for thousands of years. The evolution of agriculture would not have been possible without a continuous process of experimentation and innovation. F Leitgeb, R Ninio, S Kummer and C R Vogl provide one such case. Some of the lessons of experiments pursued by organic farmers in Austria, Israel and Cuba, have been discussed with specific reference to the innovations in Austria. All over the world, farmers use their traditional knowledge and experience to improve their farming systems. The combination of local knowledge and continuous experimentation can lead to adaptations and innovations. Thousands of grassroots innovations in the Honey Bee database are a vivid proof of the existence of the intensive process of farmers’ experimentations in India as well as of the significance of the communication processes within the farming community. Even today, scientific research is rarely based on indigenous concepts and farmers’ local needs. This can result in inaccurate diagnosis of agricultural problems and creation of technologies that neither meet the needs of the farmer nor are suitable for their production environment. One Austrian farmer had built a compost turning machine, which suited exactly his needs. The 2.5 m wide machine consists of a self-welded frame, which contains two spiral metal rollers, by which the compost is turned over. The frame is located on a trailer and is hydraulic controlled to enable comfortable transportation of the machine. A concrete block, built on the trailer keeps the machine steady. While working, the trailer is carried with a tractor, and the turning power comes from the tractor’s shaft. Vol 18(2) Apr-Jun 2007 Ancient Egyptian herbal wines Patrick E McGovern, Armen Mirzoian and Gretchen R. Hall They ask a question, can traditional knowledge produced five thousand years ago still be accessed using modern scientific tools? Authors answer this question through a painstaking multidisciplinary research to investigate herbal ingredients of ancient wine discovered in Egyptian tombs (Patrick E. McGovern, Armen Mirzoian and Gretchen R. Hall (2009); Ancient Egyptian Herbal Wines, The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106:18: 7361-7366). Will this convince some of the mandarins in the science and technology institutions who would rather focus on short term research ignoring such discoveries. Indian traditional knowledge deserves similar ambitious studies to learn and reinforce a long tradition of experimentation and innovation. This article on “Ancient Egyptian Wines†unravels the magnificent history of herbal wines in Egypt through state-of- art bio-molecular analysis and also a thorough corroboration with available historical evidences. The article describes in detail the phase-wise chemical analyses followed in order to identify and confirm the presence of wine and various medicinal ingredients in the two samples collected by archaeologists from pottery jars in Egypt. One of the samples, obtained in the form of a jar, which dates back to 3150 B.C., is called the Abydos sample because it was found in a multi-chambered tomb at Abydos in Egypt. The other one, obtained from a wine amphora, which dates back to 4 to 6th century A.D. is called the Gebel Adda sample because it was recovered from a tomb at Gebel Adda in Egypt. The right environmental condition in Egypt (dry climate) has contributed to excellent preservation of ancient organic materials and also in addition it provides very detailed and long-written records of history. The two samples chosen for the study have a time gap of around 3500 years. The Egyptian pharmacopoeia inscribed in the Papyrus leaves contains a list of more than 160 medicinal plants in the Hieroglyphic script, but almost 80 per cent of them have defied translation till date. Many vegetables and fruits like garlic, onion, celery, cyperus grass tubers, watermelon, fig, moringa, persea and zizyphus figure prominently in the ingredients; however, by far the most numerous are alcoholic beverages (wine and beer), tree resins (For example: bryony, coriander, cumin, mandrake, dill, aloe, wormwood). The pharmacopoeia describes these plants being used as additives in wine, vinegar, beer, honey, milk, oil and or water as medications for common ailments. Of all the possible additives and their probable sources that the researchers could gauge from the archeo-chemical and archeo-botanical analyses only some are mentioned in the inscriptions. In the case of the Abydos sample, from among the probable sources of tree resins, only coriander finds mention in the Pharmacopoeia Gebel Adda Sample and it is thus known to have been used in the times of Tutankhamun as a herbal additive to beer and wine administered as medicine for ailments like stomach problem, blood in stool, herpes, etc. The other possible herbal additives in the Abydos sample could not be ascertained due to the failure in deciphering the hieroglyphic script. Patrick E. McGovern, Armen Mirzoian and Gretchen R. Hall (2009); Ancient Egyptian Herbal Wines, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106:18: 7361-7366 Vol 21(2) Apr-Jun 2010 The creativity of farmers in Indramayu, IndonesiaYunita T. Winarto and Imam Ardhianto “Before the Green Revolution we were the selectors of local seeds. During the Green Revolution, we have been the buyers and planters of government seeds. Now, we want to be plant breeders, producing our own ideal seeds,†these statements are voiced by a group of farmer-plant breeders from Indramayu, a regency on the north coast of West Java, Indonesia. In the past several years, a group of farmers in this regency received training in breeding plants in rice and vegetables in the so-called Participatory Plant Breeding in Farmer Field School (PPB-FFS, or in farmers’ term: Sekolah Lapang, Pemuliaan Benih, SLPB). This ‘school’ was organised by the FIELD Foundation in Indonesia in collaboration with the PEDIGREA program of the Center for Genetic Resources, Agricultural Wageningen University. The rediscovery of local traditional varieties in the last three decades after the introduction of the Green Revolution has contributed in diversifying the agriculture and reducing the monoculture of the high yielding varieties. The paper examines this reality. By being experts in adopting modern scientific knowledge, the farmers are able to reinvent their local varieties, and by doing so, make the ‘local degenerated knowledge’ alive again. In Indramayu, farmers have become professional partners in genetic resources research and development , by also regaining their once ‘lost’ varieties. Becoming plant breeders: from farmers to experts “We are the plant-breeders,†or in farmers’ own term: “the seed-breeders†(Pemulia benih) originating from a mixture of the Indonesian scientific translation words of ‘cross-breeding’ (Penyilangan benih) and “plant-breeding†(Pemuliaan tanaman). This is a novel term, a new identity for farmer-breeders referring to those who have been practicing the cross-breeding of their plants (rice and/or vegetables). The other farmers who joined the Farmer Field School in plant breeding-but are not actively doing the cross-breeding identify themselves as the ‘school’s alumni’ with their varied participatory activities. A number of them have been very active as farmer-trainers and/or administrative/field technical staff of the program,orjustas‘theselectorsoftheseeds bred by the plant- breeders’. Defining the ideal traits: The ‘old’ and the ‘new’ criteria Elderly farmers had their own term of mbibiti for selecting ‘seeds’ prior to harvesting that will be sown in the next planting season. The main goal of carrying out that selection was to get the most ‘pure seeds’ that would be as good as their ‘parental seeds’. There was a ‘rule’ therefore that they were not allowed to select seeds from plants grown 1-2 m/s from the dikes. Avoiding the pollination with other varieties grown in the adjacent fields was the main reason within the situation where farmers used to plant a large number of diverse varieties. During this period prior to the introduction of the Green Revolution technology, maintaining the same traits of each local variety-generation to generation-became the main aim of farmers’ activity in seeds selection (mbibiti). It is entirely different from the ‘selection’ the farmer-breeders are now doing after learning from the ‘school’. In Indonesia, the farmers name the activity as menyeleksi (from the root-verb: seleksi). Vol 18(2) Apr-Jun 2007 Medicinal plants of Bedouin- Israel Dr Aref Abu Rabia The term ‘Bedouin’ is derived from Arabic word which means dwellers of the desert. Some of the medicinal uses of the desert plants are described here which are collected during the field work in ‘Bedouin’ areas known as the Holy Land of Israel. 1. Tomato Diabetes is treated by drinking the juice of tomato (bandura) with pomegranates, several times a day. Bee stings are treated by applying tomato skin dressings on the stung area several times a day. 2. Peganum harmala: Enhancing fertility in sheep/goat The onset of heat and conception are hastened in sheep and goats by burning leaves and seeds of ‘harmal’ near the flock so that they inhale the smoke. This plant is known to contain alkaloids that affect the nervous system. Even small doses are considered to be a stimulant and medicinal, but large doses can act as a suppressant. Some oils have been extracted and drugs have been formulated from the seed extracts. The leaves of “harmal†are placed in the watering trough of cattle. The leaves of ‘harmal’ are sometimes also placed chicken troughs to make hens broody. Vol 6(1) Jan-Mar 1995 Enhancing collective action, local knowledge and conservation: a case study from the PhilippinesHerlina Hartanto and Cecil Valmores The participatory resource management cycle implemented in Basac village, Bukidnon (Phillipines), helped the local Talaandig women in solving a pressing problem. Not only were the women able to find a solution to the lack of medicine supplies in their region, but they also utilised local herbal knowledge which was a part of their culture and heritage. Traditional forms of collective action were incorporated in the process that contributed greatly to conserving genetic resources. The authors would like to thank Dr. Carol Colfer, Dr. Linda Burton, and Dr. Aida Lapis for their support and guidance. Adaptive collaborative management It is derived from two different concepts of natural resource management: collaborative management and adaptive management. While the first concept recognises the ‘pluralism’ aspect of resource management (Fisher, 1995; Borrini- Feyerabend et al., 2000), the second concept tries to deal with the complexity of ecosystems. It recognises that something must be done despite the lack of complete knowledge and understanding about the complex interactions of the ecosystem components. The concept provides space for collaborative learning opportunities. Realising the condition of the health delivery system, all barangay health workers (eight women) and one female barangay resident formed a group. They were occasionally joined by the barangay captain (a woman) and one male barangay officer. Discussion and reflection on their problems and possible solutions was facilitated. This process took place in a cyclical and iterative manner. The group identified several health-related problems in Basac. The most pressing one was the unavailability of both traditional and modern medicines. The group decided to revive the use of herbal medicine because traditional herbal healing had always been a part of their community’s culture. Moreover, these plants were available in the area. The group decided to establish a local herb garden. It started with plant propagation. The group listed all the plants that were frequently and commonly used. Initially, the group members came up with 34 species of medicinal plants of which 24 species were lowland or introduced species and the other ten could be found only in the forests. All the lowland or introduced species were herbs except madre de cacao (Gliridia sepium) and Eucalyptus, while the forest species were a good mix of herb and tree species. The lowland species included lagundi (Vitex negundo), hilbas (Artemesia vulgaris) and angelika (Bryophyllum pinnatum). Each member of the group was assigned the task of obtaining certain plants. On the agreed date, the group reviewed the plants that had been collected by the members. Those who had been assigned to collect forest species had not been able to do so. They didn’t know the exact location where the plants grew. The group later decided to start with the 24 lowland species. They collectively prepared the land and planted the herbs. They planted additional food crops like beans, pechay (Brassica chinensis), patola (Luffa acutangula), gourd and some flowers. The group also lobbied with the barangay officers to get a water faucet installed near the clinic. A water channel system was installed. Later, another herb garden was set up for those who did not have easy access to the first one. The group’s herbal plant propagation project and organic vegetable garden prospered. Some barangay residents took vegetables from the garden for cooking. Others were encouraged to plant herbs in their backyards by taking planting stocks from the garden. As some people started taking plants without permission, the group faced the issue of who should benefit from the garden. The group came up with a monitoring form for this purpose. The form was later simplified. Vol 15(2) Apr-Jun 2004 Cultural beliefs of Iranian farmers on plant protection MA Ardakani and Dr MH Emadi Under some cultural beliefs, praying and blessing may be considered useful to repel pests. To control weeds such as broomrape (Orobanche), some farmers use a blessing, charm or spell. Garusi (Garusi, ‘A ‘A (1996)) quotes Plato, “To repel a plant called Roman rivanius, or broomrape by farmers, mostly found in melon beds and observed among other crops as well, the property of which is to make crops dry and decayed once it appears, the following actions are recommended: The weed will be removed from the plant if five oleander branches (rose-bay) are obtained and one of them is driven into the melon bed or the plantation and the other four into the four corners of the plantation. The losses incurred by that plant will be restrained if four pieces of pottery are obtained and a drawing is made on each of them of a man grabbing a lion by the throat, and they are then buried in the four corners of the field. Plant loss will be eliminated once a rather old rooster crows after being driven around the field. Garusi, ‘A ‘A (1996). Pishiniãn cheh mikardand? (What Did Our Ancestors Do?). Proceedings of Educational- Extensional Discussion Published on the Need to Reduce the Consumption of Chemical Fertilizers and Pesticides, (Vol. 3). Tehran: The Ministry of Jihad for Agriculture, pp. 63-65. Vol 17 (1&2) Jan- Jun 2006 Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Janus Blue She is a Native American farmer from Aztec in New Mexico, USA, who has been corresponding with us regularly. She has been trying to influence the Honey Bee network not only intellectually (through her ideas and experiences) but also spiritually (through her chanting of Buddhist ‘mantras’). She confronts most of her problems by beginning with a chanting of the Buddhist world peace prayer ‘Nam Myoho Renge Kyo’. She claims that this chanting has never let her down. By way of example we give below some excerpts from her letters which detail her search for a non-chemical solution to a pest problem. “My four apple trees were dying away! There were very few apples on them. What was worse, their trunks showed tell- tale pin holes created by unidentified worms. Two of the trees have chunks of bark gnawed out by some unknown wild life. No one I knew could identify the animal! I believe they were some kind of small rodentsâ€.I chanted Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. This led me to check out an organic fertiliser about which I had learnt through a local advertisement. I saved two-thirds the price by picking up the fertiliser from a mine. The mine owner suggested that I dig holes around the trees at the drip-line and apply the fertiliser and water at these points. I implemented his idea with a slight modification. I connected each hole to a shallow trench and then connected the entire ring of holes to an irrigation trench running parallel to the line of trees (see figure). In this way, the water flows around the trees from the trench and soaks into the holes carrying fertilizer to the periphery of the root system, where it is most needed. I added another modification, a system originally developed by J T Mathews, a plantation owner in Kerala, India. Between each tree, I dug out pits about 3 x 3 ft. in size. As the rain and ditch water collected in these pits along with farm residue and remains of small insects and animals, the soil of the pits became enriched. The water from these pits percolated down through the soil carrying much nourishment to the roots of the trees. The results were very satisfying. Soon, the proliferation of pin-holes stopped. The gnawing of the trunks by the unidentified animal also stopped. The trees became productive once again producing good quality apples. It seems to me that the enriched nutrition is giving more strength to trees, enabling them to withstand the attack of insect and other pests. Vol 6(4) Oct-Dec 1995 Caring for seeds: Learning from the women of a Manuvu community in Mindanao, Philippines This article comes out of a study conducted in the Philippines on how the Manuvú women manage their seeds. The study is noteworthy in the sense that it combines insights from the disciplines of agronomy and rural sociology. This is among the very few studies of indigenous seed management of an indigenous group and how it compares with formal sector standards. One of its most significant findings is that the dormancy period of the indigenously stored seeds times very well with the duration after which the seeds are needed for replanting. Not surprisingly, such is not the case in some of the formal institutional practices. Indigenous seed storage practices The mature seeds are sun dried. The seeds are said to be dry enough and ready to store when they feel hard upon being bitten. The moisture content of the seeds at this stage is about 11-12 per cent. The dried seeds are placed inside round seed containers called lukong or liwit and put inside the payag sa humay or sabong. A lukong/liwit or big rice seed container can accommodate five to six sacks of rice depending on its size. It is made out of the bark of red lauan (Shorea negrosensis Foxn.) and a single tree can produce three to five pieces of lukong. The soft bark is sewn together by uway (Calamus merrillii Becc.). The bottom of the lukong is also made up of an uway mesh. Rice straw is placed at the bottom of the lukong before the seeds are poured into it. The storage house or payag sa humay, on the other hand, is a wooden or bamboo structure with a grass or a GI sheet roof. It has four posts with either milk cans or flat, round wooden discs around each to prevent rats from climbing up. It has only one door, no windows and has a removable ladder. Corn is stored using the sinayatan system, similar to the system followed in many Indian tribal regions. Aside from the sinayatan, unhusked corn cobs are also hung on the clothes line. Corn cobs are also hung above the cooking area (abuhan) after harvest until the time they are used for planting. (This is a very common practice in dry regions in India as well. -Ed.) Vol 13(1) Jan-Mar 2002 Mowing the lawn uphill: A spiky story from Switzerland! The mountains that make Switzerland so beautiful are a pain for those who wish to mow the grass in their steep lawns. The traditional method of cutting grass is to use a brush cutter. A brush cutter is quite difficult to use, and the cut grass has to be collected later. However, it is almost impossible to operate a lawnmower in hilly areas. In uphill direction, the machine does not pull properly and often slips off. This demands the person operating it to push continuously with lots of force. If only a lawnmower could climb uphill, the task would be much easier. Matthias Nott from Basel, Switzerland has thought of an interesting idea. The rear wheels of the lawn mower receive the power from the engine, but are typically made from hard plastic. The engine is powerful, but the mower does not have enough grip to get that power to the ground. Matthias Nott put a string of small wood screws (3.5 mm) around the rear wheel, about 5 cm in distance in a zig-zag pattern. The screw heads are left above the surface of the wheels on both sides. With this modification the lawnmower can now climb very steep lawns without any problems. The farmers to whom Nott showed this technology were impressed. They were so used to the traditional method of removing grass by hand with a brush cutter that they never thought of better ways of doing it. Nott claims that this modification can be applied to any engine with hard plastic wheels which has traction issues. Matthias Nott has expressed his desire to help anyone who wants to try out this idea. He can be contacted at matthias.nott@sap.com. Vol 23(4) Oct-Dec 2012 Africa Calling Puzzles in paddy The Africa Rice Center, earlier known as the Western African Rice Development Association (WARDA), Benin has been involved in exploring the potential of farmers’ innovations in solving the problems of paddy cultivators. They have collected many different innovations and traditional knowledge applicable to crops and also livestock. Dr. Paul Van Mele, Technology Transfer Agronomist, contributed an article about the Africa Rice Center and its work. It is an autonomous intergovernmental research association of African member states. It is also one of the 15 international agricultural research Centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). It was constituted as the WARDA—a name that it carried until 2003 when it was designated as the Africa Rice Center. It is good that CGIAR institutions are at last waking up to realising the potential of farmers’ innovations, however, not many seem to have been subjected to serious institutional research and that is an area where much more action will be expected in the future. It is also hoped that CG institutions will take up practices from the Honey Bee Network database for dissemination among African farmers. More than two decades ago, Paul Richards had also argued for this cause. Control of iron toxicity using lime and dried oil palm tree flowers Musa Jawneh, Gambia, May, 2005 Iron toxicity has been a major problem for rice farmers in the lowlands especially in the mangrove and associated mangrove areas. Farmers have used many coping strategies since ideal solutions are seldom found. Musa Jawneh, president of the National Farmer’s Platform, said he and a couple of farmers tried lime and dried flower of oil palm tree and rice husks. About 7.5 kg of dried flower of oil palm tree and 10 kg of lime are thoroughly mixed, applied and incorporated into the soil before planting. The plot size measured 10m x 10m. The combination worked very well as traces of iron toxicity were minimal and farmers’ yields were increased. In the following year the combination was replicated and farmers in particular in the lowland observed the performance of the innovation and were very motivated. Now many farmers are using the innovation. Nitrogen fertiliser induced acidification and liming on micronutrients in soil and in bromegrass hay.S. S. Malhi, M. Nyborg and J. T. Harapiak; Soil and Tillage Research; Volume 48, Issues 1-2, 1 September 1998, pp.91-101) A traditional method for the removal of iron from ground water by using rice husk ash, and ashes of various other substances has been systematically investigated. Ash was found to lead to enhanced precipitation of iron at high pH, and the method has been found suitable. (Removal of iron from groundwater by ash: A systematic study of a traditional method; B. Das, P. Hazarika, G. Saikia, H. Kalita, D.C. Goswami, H.B. Das, S.N. Dube and R.K. Dutta; Journal of Hazardous Materials; Volume 141, Issue 3, 22 March 2007, pp. 834-841). Vol 18(3&4) Jul-Dec 2007 Indigenous animal husbandry practices from Central Tanzania In central Tanzania farmers use various indigenous methods for controlling animal diseases, disorders and ecto parasites, and for the preservation of milk. These farmers belong to various ethnic groups speaking different languages/dialects. The following practices were collected from the Wagogo and Wamasai farmers. Preservation of milk Wagogo and Wamasai farmers use the wood of ‘Msingisa’ (Boscia angustifolia), ‘mtumba’ (Boscia grandifolia), ‘mkuliza’ (maerua angolensis), ‘mwima chigula ’ (Maerua parvifolia), ‘msisilo or mtego’ (Diplorychyus spp), Capparis fascicularis, Euphorbia Candelabrium, Mundulea sericea trees or shrubs to sterilise the container in which milk is to be stored (Chenyambuga et al., 1993). The wood of any trees/shrubs mentioned above is burned so that it generates smoke. The container, made from gourds, is fumigated with this smoke and washed with clean water to remove the charcoal dust before storing milk in it. Pre-treating the container in this way is believed to increase the shelf-life of the milk. It can remain up to 2-3 days without fermenting. The gourd also imparts a desirable flavour to the milk. Controlling Ectoparasites To control tick infestation of cattle they smear fresh dung on the animals. Heavy tick infestations are known to sometimes cause cattle death in this region. It is believed that the fresh cattle dung deters the ticks and keeps them from attacking the animals. Readers may also refer to another interesting practice of controlling ticks by taking cattle to rivers. Fishes in the river eat away the ticks. -Ed. Controlling animal diseases People use the following plants and shrubs to treat different animal and poultry diseases and disorders (Komwihangilo et al.,1993). Euphorbia spp (Mtakalang onyo) stem is pounded and the mother liquor is used to expel retained placenta in cows. Stegnotaenia araliaceae leaves are pounded and mixed with water to treat goats and cattle which experience difficulty in breathing. The roots of Maerua edulis are mixed with ‘mtumba’ (Boscia grandiflora Gilg) to treat poultry diseases. Storage of maize Farmers of the Wagogo tribe use ash from burned dried dung of cattle to treat maize grains against weevils (beetles) after harvest. The ash is mixed with the grains and kept in storage structures commonly known as ‘Vihenge’. This method of storage has proved to be very effective. Some farmers use ash even to treat the grains against the beetle known as Prostefanus trancatus. Chenyambuga S.W, Goromela E.H, Ryoba R and Kurwijila R.L (1993). ‘‘A study on the effect of traditional African smoke treatment of milk on the organoleptic and maintaining quality of sour milk.’’ Paper presented at 1st Biennial workshop of Cattle Research Network, ILCA, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 17-21 May, 1993. Komwihangilo, D. M., Goromela, E. H., & Bwire, J. M. N. (1995). Indigenous knowledge in utilization of local trees and shrubs for sustainable livestock production in central Tanzan |
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Honey Bee 25(4) & 26(1) 65-73, 2014-2015 |
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