Traditional knowledge among small-scale farmers in San Lazaro, State of Trujillo, Venezuela: Implications for agricultural educators.

摘要

The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the role of traditional knowledge of small-scale farmers in the village of San Lázaro, State of Trujillo, Venezuela. The overall level of participation of farmers in agricultural research and traditional extension programs, and farmers' communication processes was also examined. The following research questions were: (1) What are the demographic and general characteristics of small-scale farmers in San Lázaro, State of Trujillo, Venezuela? (2) How do traditional practices of farmers in San Lázaro, Trujillo influence productivity? (3) How do farmers in San Lázaro, Trujillo obtain information and how the communication process occurs? (4) What is the level of participation of small-scale farmers in government-sponsored agricultural programs?; The study findings show that the majority of San Lázaro small-scale farmers are male, own their farms, and their farms are characterized by heterogeneous structures and forms of production including the biophysical environment, social, economic, education, and local culture contexts.; Participants in this study indicated the use of traditional farming practices and beliefs influence agricultural productivity. San Lázaro farmers' knowledge is deeply embedded in the local culture. They have developed the capacity to transform modern scientific ideas and practices and incorporated them into their way of life.; The findings provide evidence that San Lázaro farmers interviewed conducted informal experimentation on their farms. The study results also provide evidence that farmers obtained knowledge and experience and supported one another by sharing on-farm experiments. Farmer-to-farmer approaches have proved to work successfully in validating farmers' informal experiments. A high priority should be given to the farmer-to-farmer approach in extension programming in order to promote and diffuse appropriate technologies. Extension educators need to recognize that farmers are active partners in the research process. At the same time, they could work with farmers in collaborative fashion in a multidisciplinary team. In order for extension to foster bi-directional linkages of communication and knowledge transfer between agricultural producers and researchers, extension needs to relate with farmers and rural people as partners in a learning context in which there is no exclusive ownership of knowledge and technology. The process of extension program planning and development will be more successful when local people and stakeholders have a direct influence over the curricula and are actively involved in such process.; The participants indicated that friends are their first reference group selected and their neighbor farmer the type of communication preferred. Therefore, extensionists should recognize that TOT is an active process by which farmers search for and select their own new communication channels, technologies, and practices.; The agricultural extension service in Venezuela never reached the majority of its intended clientele and had little to offer to those it did reach. There is a need for agricultural education programs aimed at incorporating indigenous or traditional knowledge through participatory approaches to bridge the communication gap between outsiders and insiders. The aim of extension educators will be to encourage and support farmers in carrying out their own learning and problem-solving process. Thus, agricultural educators should use the results of this study to train their staff, and include indigenous knowledge systems in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of extension programs. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)