Member profile
Dr. IRENE KADZERE
Organization:
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Switzerland
Country:
Switzerland
Field(s) of expertise:
Dr. IRENE KADZERE
Dear the HLPE-FSN Consultation Team on 'Preserving, strengthening and promoting Indigenous Peoples’ food and knowledge systems and traditional practices for sustainable food systems'.
I am submitting this contribution on behalf of 'The Markets and Seeds Access Project (MASAP)' (https://masap-zimzam.com) - a 12-year initiative in Zambia and Zimbabwe that is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by a consortium of 3 organisations (NIRAS, CTDO and FiBL) together with many intervention partners and service providers. The project aims to improve food and nutrition security and the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, especially women and youth. It supports market actors (intervention partners) in strengthening the seed and commodity value chains of small grains (sorghum and millets) and legumes (cowpeas and groundnuts) in the two countries while addressing pertinent research and policy issues to facilitate greater utilization and consumption of these nutritious and drought tolerant crops.
With best wishes.
Responses to the e-Consultation Questions posed by FAO:
The Guiding Principles seem fine, however key considerations should be made on some key factors such as age (youth) and gender (in particular girls and women) which can potentially be exclusion factors. It will be important that these vulnerable groups among the Indigenous Peoples are also well included and that their needs, in as far as current and future food (and the basic components of food systems such as seed) and knowledge systems, are taken into consideration. This will help to foster sustainable food supply in the wake of climatic and socio-economic and other shocks.
2. Should the objectives include mainstreaming Indigenous Peoples food and knowledge systems, and lessons learned from them, for the benefit of all, or solely for the benefit of Indigenous Peoples as rights holders?
The primary focus of the objectives should be the food and knowledge systems, and lessons learned from the Indigenous Peoples for the Indigenous Peoples. It is worth noting that:
a) The Indigenous Peoples Food and Knowledge Systems have potential benefits to non-Indigenous Peoples. For examples, some indigenous fruits, edible insects, underutilized traditional crops such as small grains (millets, sorghum, etc.), and others, are highly valued for their nutrient-dense characteristics and health benefits. Indigenous Peoples are often the Stewards to some key biodiversity. Thus, these foods have the potential to benefit non-Indigenous Peoples while simultaneously adding value to the Indigenous Peoples through, e.g. trade, when well managed and encroachments are minimized to reduce competition, biodiversity loss and environmental damage and pressure.
b) The indigenous knowledge systems and traditions that have been nurtured over time can provide some key insights, lessons and strategies towards sustainable management of ecosystems and natural resources – living in harmony with nature. There is a lot that non-indigenous peoples could learn from the Indigenous Peoples, and vice versa. Some form of exchange on knowledge and practices could benefit both Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous Peoples.
c) As some Indigenous Peoples migrate and become integrated into non-Indigenous Peoples settings and spaces, there are certain values, knowledge systems and foods they may wish to retain and pass them onto their future generations -– mechanisms of how to cater for the needs of these Indigenous Peoples who are living out of their originals spaces or landscapes need to be addressed.
d) Transboundary issues such as human and animal health / disease epidemics and sanitation associated with the knowledge and food systems.
3. What are the challenges related to Free, Prior and Informed Consent and Access and Benefit Sharing when widely promoting and/or mainstreaming Indigenous Peoples food and knowledge systems?
Key issues which need to be addressed here could include:
a) Contextual settings:
b) Needs and preferences – there will be a need to analyse and document which Indigenous Peoples practices are (potentially) facing the risk of being lost/eroded. On the other hand which ones potentially could cause some risks to others given the dynamic landscapes and spaces of current and future inhabitants.
c) Power dynamics, especially pertaining social groupings - ensuring that gender is considered and the youth within Indigenous Peoples fully participate in these FPICs and fair A&BS arrangements.
d) Awareness and knowledge by non-Indigenous Peoples and how their actions and / or consumption habits and behaviours can potentially influence the well-being, practices and food systems of Indigenous Peoples in the chain.
4. How can the report ensure the inclusion of marginalized groups, sustainability, and protection against commercialization risks for Indigenous Peoples' food and knowledge systems?
a) This question is rather unclear – the report can include sections dealing with these topics, but there needs to be subsequent action taken based on the report’s recommendations to ensure actual inclusion of marginalized groups. Below are some proposed strategies of what could be included in the report on the listed topics:
5. How should oral knowledge and traditions be documented and referenced in the development of the report?
a) Comment: Oral knowledge and traditions deserve to be documented and referenced in the development of the report, especially if such information is corroborated by a number of Indigenous Peoples members, or if the knowledge and traditions relate to a widely known practice or unique practice with potential for wide uptake by other Indigenous Peoples. Oral knowledge and traditions relate to systems that have helped propel and perpetuate Indigenous Peoples and their societies. These deserve to be acknowledged and highlighted for current and future purposes.
b) Oral knowledge and traditions be documented and referenced in the form of case studies which recognize Indigenous Peoples food preservation / preparation and utilization as well as food safety nets such as sharing and/or exchanges on seed, food and knowledge – these could also be documented with proper recognition of the rights of the sources of such.
c) The development of this part of the report may require some prior reflections or orientation around Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) by the Report Authors, if need be. In one project - the Knowledge Center for Organic Agriculture and Agroecology in Africa (KCOA - https://kcoa-africa.org/) – Indigenous Knowledge Systems are well recognized, and in order to capture and cite these sources of information appropriately in knowledge products produced, a number of training sessions were held involving an IPR Expert and those project people who were identifying, collecting, collating, translating/transforming and producing knowledge products.
d) The report could also include suitable (with consent) videos and other visuals from oral case studies.
6. What dimensions linked to Indigenous Peoples’ agency, e.g., in governance issues, could be addressed?
a) Their protection from unintended tradeoffs from development programmes – thorough feasibility and environmental impacts assessments
b) Rights and fair benefit sharing
c) Respect to the values of Indigenous Peoples.
7. Are there important/relevant policy papers and instruments missing from the foundational documents list?
a) Policies related to Farmer Managed Seed Systems, if available.
8. Could you please indicate relevant references that should be taken into account?
a) Documents relating to programmes on domestication of indigenous fruits by the World Agroforestry Center /ICRAF.
b) Documents relating to production, harvesting, management and commercialization of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs).
9. What best practices, ethical standards, and strategies for addressing climate change should be highlighted in the report?
a) Enhanced promotion of underutilized field crops and varieties that are more drought resilient, e.g. millets, sorghum, cowpeas, groundnuts, indigenous vegetables, and others. Enhanced management of local / farmer managed seed systems which address the needs of women, the youth and their families should be high among the priorities on climate change.
b) Greater integration of indigenous fruit species into agroforestry programmes, but supported with good management of these indigenous resources.
c) Increased and improved water harvesting practices at different levels and observing and protecting key water sources.
d) Greater integration of indigenous climatic forecast indicators into the early warning systems.
10. Which best practices or strategies to promote cross-cultural understanding should be highlighted in the report?
a) Strengthening exchanges and cross-learning on seed, knowledge and food systems among women, the youth from different Indigenous Peoples with some cross-fertilization with modern science to cater for the needs of different levels and categories of audiences on evidence.
b) There are some programmes that promote the ‘Art of Intercultural Collaboration’ for professionals. Such programmes could be promoted for professionals from different Indigenous Peoples and potentially down-scaled and tailored to farming and non-farming women and youth, as well as men, from different Indigenous Peoples landscapes.
c) Suitable, practical and ethical incentives for cross-cultural understanding around some topics related to behavioural change and the key drivers for that change, for example towards the consumption of nutritious healthier foods.
11. Are the previous legal documents such as Prior and Informed Consent, enough in light of this evolution of thinking about Indigenous People’s knowledge, or do they need to be revised?
No response to this question.