Thesis (PhD (Dept. of Forest and Wood Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study aimed to analyze under which conditions the structure, organization and
integration of knowledge systems can provide the implementation of adaptive
collaborative management of natural resources under conditions of high biodiversity in
the humid forest zone of southern Cameroon. The study specifically did the following:
characterized sustainable slash-and-burn agriculture innovations; examined the influences
of local perceptions of nature and forest knowledge management systems on adaptive
slash-and-burn agriculture practices; analyzed the influences of the social representation
of land use patterns and their local indicators on agro-ecological sustainability;
characterised the biophysical dimensions of local management of agricultural
biodiversity knowledge systems; analyzed how local agricultural biodiversity knowledge
is used to adapt and to satisfy household consumption needs, market preferences, and
sustainable livelihoods; examined the influences of local perceptions of climate
variability for the ability and adaptive capacity of people to use local knowledge to deal
with the effect of pests-diseases on crop yield, corrective management actions, and
adaptive slash-and-burn agriculture management.
The study was conducted in three blocks within the humid forest zone of southern
Cameroon along a gradient of natural resource use management intensification and
population density. Data were collected via structured and semi-structured interviews,
multi-disciplinary landscape assessment and a review of secondary information. Chisquare
tests were used to show how local knowledge influences - natural resource
management at the forest-agriculture interface, while binary logistic regressions were
used to understand the influences of biophysical and socio-economic factors on farmers’
decisions to domesticate tree species and to cultivate several crop cultivars.
Fourteen research and development (R&D) themes were identified and found to be
equally distributed among blocks but unequally distributed across technical, marketing
and socio-organisational types of innovation. There was a gap between social demand
and innovation offer. Innovations offered covered more technical issues, such as crop
variety development, indicating their agricultural focus rather than the integration of
forest and agriculture issues. The local perceptions of nature and forest resources are
based on social representation of the vital space into components having a specific
function for the social, physical and spiritual life of people. Needs of the human world
determine the role of local forest knowledge systems in the interpretation and responses
of the natural environment, and guide the trajectories of natural resource management
practices. The management of agro-ecological sustainability is based on the local
definition of well-being, social representation of space and on a multi-criteria approach
combining bio-indicators such as plants, earthworm activities, age of vegetation or forest
cover, soil colour and quality but it is also positively influenced by land use history, the
use value of wild plant and crop species, the knowledge of crop qualities, the knowledge
of interactions between crops, and between crops and other wild plant species, the tree
size of tree species used, the future use of a current land use, the estimated land use for
own use and market access. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie was om te bepaal onder watter omstandighede die struktuur,
organisasie en integrasie van kennissisteme kan bydra tot die implementering van
aanpasbare deelnemende bestuur van natuurlike hulpbronne onder toestande van hoë
biodiversiteit in die vogtige woudsone van suidelike Kameroen. Die studie het spesifiek
die volgende gedoen: volhoubare kap-en-brand landboukundige ontwikkelinge
gekarakteriseer; die invloede van plaaslike persepsies van die natuur en woudkennisgebaseerde
bestuursisteme op aanpasbare kap-en-brand landboupraktyke ge-evalueer; die
invloede van die sosiale verteenwoordiging van grondgebruikspatrone en hul plaaslike
indikatore op agro-ekologiese volhoubaarheid ontleed; die biofisiese dimensies van die
plaaslike bestuur van landboukundige biodiversiteitskennissisteme gekarakteriseer; geanaliseer
hoe die plaaslike landboukundige biodiversiteitskennis gebruik word om aan te
pas by en bevrediging te verkry vir huishoudelike gebruiksbehoeftes, marksvoorkeure en
volhoubare bestaansbehoeftes; die invloede en gebruik van plaaslike kennis en persepsies
van klimaatsvariasie beoordeel in die vermoë en aanpassingskapasiteit van mense om die
effekte van siektes-peste op gewasproduksie, regstellende aksies en aanpasbare kap-enbrand
landboubestuur te hanteer.
Die studie is uitgevoer in drie blokke binne die vogtige woudsone van suidelike
Kameroen langs ‘n gradient van natuurlike hulpbrongebruiksbestuursintensiteit en
populasiedigtheid. Data is versamel deur gestruktureerde en semi-gestruktureerde
onderhoude, multi-dissiplinere landskapsevaluering en ‘n oorsig van sekondere inligting.
Chi-kwadraat toetse is gebruik om te wys hoe plaaslike kennis die bestuur van die woudlandbou
konneksie beinvloed asook binêre logistiese regressies om die invloede te
verstaan van biofisiese en sosio-ekonomiese faktore op die boere se besluite om
boomsoorte te domestikeer en om verskeie gewaskultivars te kweek.
Veertien temas in navorsing en ontwikkeling (N&O) was gelyk versprei tussen die
blokke en ongelyk versprei tussen tegniese, bemarking en sosio-organisatoriese tipes
innovering. Daar was ‘n gaping tussen sosiale aanvraag en innoveringsaanbieding.
Innoverings het meer tegniese aspekte gedek, soos ontwikkeling van ‘n verskeidenheid
gewasse, wat wys op ‘n landboukundige fokus eerder as ‘n integrasie van woud en
landboukundige aspekte. Die plaaslike persepsies van die natuur en woudhulpbronne was
gebaseer op sosiale verteenwoordiging van lewensbelangrike ruimte in komponente met
‘n spesifieke funksie vir die sosiale, fisiese en geestelike lewe van die mense. Behoeftes
van die menslike wereld bepaal die rol van plaaslike woudkennissisteme in die
interpretasie van en reaksie op die natuurlike omgewing, en rig die gebruik van
hulpbronbestuurspraktyke. Die bestuur van agro-ekologiese volhoubaarheid is gebaseer
op die plaaslike definisie van geluk, sosiale verteenwoordiging van ruimte en op ‘n multikriteria
benadering wat bio-indikatore kombineer soos plante, erdwurmaktiwiteite,
ouderdom van plantegroei- of woudbedekking, grondkleur- en kwaliteit, maar is ook
positief beinvloed deur grondgebruiksgeskiedenis, die gebruikswaarde van natuurlike en
gewassoorte, die kennis van gewaskwaliteite, die kennis van die interaksie tussen
gewasse en tussen gewasse en natuurlike plantsoorte, die boomgrootte van boomsoorte
wat gebruik word, die toekomstige gebruik van ‘n huidige grondgebruik, die beraamde
grondgebruik vir eie gebruik en vir toegang tot die markte.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/1290 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Mala, William Armand |
| Contributors | Geldenhuys, Coert Johannes, Prabhu, Ravindhra, University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Agrisciences. Dept. of Forest and Wood Science. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch: University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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