Promoting Best Practices - Sharing Innovative Experiences

Best Practices
Dryland Biodiversity
Medicinal Plants
Water Resources
Renewable Energy
Knowledge Sharing
Disaster Mitigation
Capacity Building

Sharing Knowledge...

... about medicinal plants

International Workshop in Trieste, Italy, 4-6 July 2005

Knowledge Sharing for Local Development in the South

Without the knowledge stored in our libraries – the results and conclusions of scientific experiments, technological know-how, and business and marketing strategies – humankind would struggle to survive.

Today, such information is being generated at an ever-faster pace. Many people in the South, however, lack access to such formal repositories of information. On the other hand, our libraries also lack documentation of traditional knowledge – knowledge that has been passed verbally from parent to child for generations. Many societies in the South are particularly rich in traditional knowledge, whether it relates to the utilization of medicinal plants, how to harvest and store water, or how best to grow local crop varieties.

Yet, on its own, traditional knowledge is often not enough. If it were, very few communities would lack access to safe drinking water and farmers' crops would not suffer from the ravages of insect pests.

This is where scientists can help: by adapting and improving traditional systems; by developing new techniques and technologies; and, most importantly, by disseminating their results.

Indeed, the aim of this workshop is to highlight not only the role that science plays in development, but also the role that knowledge-sharing must play in making people aware of the information developed through science that can help them in their daily lives – whether that knowledge is shared through word of mouth among local communities, through media such as newsletters, radio and television, or through the use of modern communication technologies, including e-mail and the internet.

The 15 case studies selected for presentation at this workshop utilize a variety of such knowledge sharing methods and, in doing so, highlight the critical role that knowledge sharing plays in sustainable development.

In its own way, this project, too, is an exercise in knowledge sharing. The case studies presented during the workshop will be edited into non-technical versions, making them accessible to a wider audience, and published as Volume 13 of the UNDP's 'Sharing Innovative Experiences' series, a project that has been undertaken in close collaboration with both TWAS and TWNSO. As with other books published in the series, Volume 13 will be distributed free of charge throughout the South.

Finally, it is hoped that, by bringing various knowledge-sharing practitioners together at a workshop such as this, and allowing ample time for discussion and interaction, some best practices can be identified that will help participants develop and refine their own knowledge sharing protocols, further assisting sustainable development in the South.

Workshop Programme (as of 30 June 2005)

List of Participants (as of 30 June 2005)

Workshop photos

TWAS Newsletter (Vol. 17 No. 3, 2005) article "Time to Share" (1,012 K)

TWAS Newsletter (Vol. 17 No. 3, 2005) article "Information for All: India's Open Knowledge Network" (752 K)