Celebrating International Day of the World鈥檚 Indigenous Peoples 2016
Tuesday聽is International Day of the World鈥檚 Indigenous Peoples. This year鈥檚 theme is聽聽to highlight the importance of education and preserving indigenous knowledge. 聽聽
Around the world, many indigenous people cannot access the basic right to education. Their traditional methods of teaching, learning and cultivating food are not always respected by education systems and teachers.
罢丑别听聽explains that 鈥渢heir history, traditions, languages and knowledge are part of the very bedrock of human heritage. Indigenous peoples can teach the world about sustainable lifestyles and living in harmony with nature.鈥澛� 聽
represent over 370 million people and have more than 5,000 languages and cultures in different ecosystems around the world.聽According to the聽, traditional knowledge is 鈥渢he knowledge, innovations, and practices of indigenous and local communities around the world.鈥�
In 2007, the General Assembly adopted the聽. The declaration highlights their rights to build political, economic, and social systems, and participate in economic and traditional activities.聽聽聽
Indigenous people are struggling to preserve their knowledge and traditions.聽is passed down from generation to generation. Many indigenous people rely on these ecosystems to live, and these ecosystems are dealing with聽.
鈥淚ndigenous people cannot access important natural resources they used to enjoy, such as traditional foods and medicines, adequate water supply, game meat, and honey due to excessive exploitations of the habitats,鈥� says聽聽of the Kenya Resource Center for Indigenous Knowledge.聽 聽聽聽聽
By preserving the knowledge and increasing access to information, new innovative solutions can be developed to improve food security and prevent environmental degradation in indigenous communities, according to the聽.
For example, in Soroti, Uganda, farmers use聽聽to grow crops. Recently, it was observed by the U.N. World Food Programme that the food security has improved and non-governmental organizations have stopped distributing food to households in the area. 聽聽聽
鈥淲e are finding that where traditional knowledge is being revived, food security outcomes are better,鈥� says聽, convenor of Monash University鈥檚 food security group.
According to聽, the Learning Circle coordinator at Farm to Cafeteria Canada, people can learn about their traditions and culture when they eat traditional foods from their communities.
鈥淧eople feel that food culture is being lost in institutions,鈥� says.
鈥淭hat is why we need to shift the culture back to a place where people are growing, harvesting, preserving, eating and sharing local foods through school food programs as the Learning Centre Vision states. It鈥檚 just going back to what we know and getting the kids on board.鈥澛犅�
Many initiatives are working to promote indigenous knowledge in the food system. Here are some of these initiatives:聽聽聽
1.听(叠谤补锄颈濒)听听
The network works with medicinal plant producers and local health practitioners to develop policies that protect traditional health practices in Brazil. Currently, there are no governmental policies that recognize traditional health practices. The initiative collaborates with traditional pharmacies and community-based organizations to produce medicinal plants and maintain traditional knowledge and health practices in these indigenous communities.
2.听聽(Virginia, United States)聽
First Peoples Worldwide is an indigenous-led organization that provides funding for indigenous communities around the world. It was created in 1997 to support local initiatives and encourage the use of indigenous knowledge. One of the projects funded by First Peoples Worldwide is an initiative to improve access to farming technologies and promote traditional farming practices in Kamboma, Sierra Leone. The organization will work with members of the community to support the agricultural sector.
3.听听(础耻蝉迟谤补濒颈补)听听
The Indigenous Carbon Farming Fund is a program organized by the Australian Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population, and Communities. The government will give US$22.3 million over five years to indigenous and Torres Strait Islander people to help them participate in the Carbon Farming Initiative. The Carbon Farming Initiative aims to support indigenous landholders who participate in projects designed to decrease emissions in the country.
4.听聽(California, United States)聽
The Indigenous Farming Project is an initiative that encourages indigenous people in the United States to build community gardens in order to improve their health. It develops workshops to educate people on how to grow and prepare traditional foods.聽It also has seed saving libraries to protect plant varieties against local climate stresses.
5.听聽(Arkansas, United States)聽
The Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative is designed to support indigenous agriculture by helping with strategic planning and technical assistance. It is managed by the University of Arkansas School of Law and promotes the sustainable use of natural resources in the communities around the world. 鈥淲e must absolutely include time to discuss our food security, resiliency of our indigenous food systems, and how to feed the most vulnerable among us in times of crisis,鈥� explains聽, the director of the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative.聽
6.听听(叠辞濒颈惫颈补)听
Jatun Sach鈥檃 is a project managed by the Ministry of Rural Development in Bolivia. It aims to promote the sustainable use of natural resources by collaborating with indigenous families in the country. The program has supported more than 4,000 families, and it is expected that it will benefit another 12,000 families. The women are taught how to use local plants and vegetables in order to develop products designed to increase food security.
7.听聽(Minnesota, United States)聽
Native Harvest is an initiative that works to protect native seeds, fruits, and animals. It promotes indigenous knowledge and traditions in indigenous communities by maintaining the methods used to grow foods.
8.听聽(southwestern United States)聽
Native Seeds/SEARCH is an organization that works to preserve seeds from the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It has a seed bank and a conservation farm in Arizona. It aims to protect indigenous knowledge and promote the use of traditional farming methods in indigenous communities.聽聽聽
9.听聽(Arizona, United States)聽
The Natwani Coalition is an organization that promotes the use of indigenous knowledge in Arizona. It works with indigenous children to teach them about traditional farming practices and build school gardens.
10.听(碍别苍测补)听
The initiative uses local knowledge to build sustainable agricultural programs that will be managed by people in these communities. It provides training to farmers in Kenya on how to increase the crop yields of corn.聽
11.听听(滨苍诲颈补)听
Navdanya is a network of organic producers in India. The organization works with people to build community seed banks and teach farmers about sustainable agriculture. It also has an organic farm where the farmers can learn about preserving cultural methods in India.聽聽聽聽 聽
12.听(骋濒辞产补濒)听
The initiative gathered information on how indigenous communities are using agrobiodiversity to deal with climate change. It examined how these communities adapted their farming systems for two years.
13.听(Costa Rica)聽聽聽
The Rural Development Institute (INDER) developed a project designed to create integrated production systems using traditional farming methods in the Talamanca 鈥� La Estrella Valley territory. The area is vulnerable to climate change, and people are dependent on the agricultural sector. The initiative works to improve food security by preserving traditional knowledge and local indigenous traditions.
14.听听(惭别虫颈肠辞)
Sierra de Ju谩rez Union of Organisations is a group that includes 12 indigenous communities. These communities are trying to preserve their land and natural resources in Oaxaca, Mexico. The members of the group are taught agro-ecological methods to manage vegetable, coffee, maize, and livestock production. They emphasize improving food security and protecting natural resources in the area.聽 聽
15.听(骋濒辞产补濒)听
The World Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities鈥� Land and Sea Managers鈥� Network was developed at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. The network works to bring local communities and indigenous people together to talk about how they used traditional knowledge to manage sustainable livelihoods.
This story originally appeared on .
