Documentation of Women’s Knowledge

“The struggle of women, their experiences and knowledge has often been left secluded and excluded by history, their voices silenced because these have not been documented, except maybe in the oral cultural traditions.”– Women’s Wisdom: Documentation of Women’s Knowledge on Ecological Agriculture

From a long process of workshops and consultations, to data gathering, interviews, surveys and validation, the participatory action research project on women’s knowledge on sustainable agriculture was completed. In collaboration with network partners from India, Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems (CIKS); Pakistan, KHOJ Research and Education; Indonesia; and Philippines, SIBAT; PAN AP was able to pull together women’s contribution, involvement and knowledge of agricultural systems in rural communities. The book, “Women’s Wisdom: Documentation of Women’s Knowledge on Ecological Agriculture in the Philippines, Indonesia and Pakistan” traces the history of women’s contribution and achievements in farming systems—in seed production and preservation, in preparing and using natural fertilisers, in maintaining soil fertility and crop health, among others. The challenges of overcoming the negative effects of the Green Revolution (on productivity, soil structure, toxicity and cost-effectiveness in farming crops) were also documented and how it threatened women’s knowledge and practices in sustainable agriculture.

PAN AP Executive Director provides an overview of women’s multifaceted role in agriculture, from custodians of seeds to conservers of biodiversity. The overview comprehensively describes how corporate agriculture, globalisation and the instruments that support it, such as patenting, destroy traditional knowledge and hinder women from reclaiming their rights to knowledge and tradition. It also shows the gender dimensions in economies and societies and how these systems discriminate and oppress women in their communities.

The publication of the studies in 2005 has become a crucial step in systematically recognising and publicising women farmers’ contribution in sustainable agricultures. More challenges lie ahead. More in-depth studies are needed to explore the intricacies of how women’s knowledge systems are developed, how access to resources and land becomes crucial in preserving traditional knowledge and how these traditional knowledge could be passed on to many generations ahead.