Agricultural Development & Indigenous Ways-of-Knowing: Māori & Quechuan Experiences of Participatory Development

Abstract

This research explores the promotion of Indigenous Knowledges (IKs) within participatory agricultural Development. Since the mid-1980s IKs have been promoted within participatory Development for political, technical, ethical and socio-cultural reasons. This promotion has however proved problematic, with questions regarding development assumptions, power differentials, cultural diversity and cross-cultural practice remaining open. This research has taken a novel approach to investigating these issues, centering Indigenous ontologies and methodologies, while integrating Indigenous and organizational literatures. The research findings are based on ethnographic fieldwork with two participatory agricultural Development projects in Peru and Aotearoa, with fieldwork occurring between 2008-2010. The research found that IK promotion was influenced by complex interacting factors across multiple organizational levels (macro, organizational and project practice) and domains (context, power, practice and meaning). The Aotearoa case demonstrated that as a state research institute led project, institutional and ideological elements acted to compartmentalize and misrepresent IK (mātauranga Māori), thereby limiting its promotion. In contrast, the Peruvian case demonstrated that by using an indigenous place-centred action framework (Indigenous Biocultural Heritage modelling (IBCH)), Quechuan conceptual and normative models could be centred, while integrating mainstream organizational and scientific approaches to Development. This approach allowed issues of context, power, meaning and practice to be addressed concurrently, providing a platform for successful IK promotion and engagement with other knowledge traditions. Overall the research demonstrated that Indigenous and organizational perspectives provide distinct and beneficial conceptualizations of IK promotion within participatory Development. This thesis argues that Indigenous-centred approaches which consider context, power, meaning and practice concurrently and at multiple organizational levels can decolonize Development biases, facilitate IK promotion and engagement between diverse knowledge traditions, and create processes and outcomes of local value. An Indigenous Centred Development Model is presented which integrates the research findings.