Reconciling Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Learning for sustainable futures in Southern Ethiopia

There is growing recognition of the importance of indigenous peoples’ knowledge in ensuring the ecological and socio-economic sustainability of natural resources. Sustainability or rather preparing children and young people... [ view full abstract ]

There is growing recognition of the importance of indigenous peoples’ knowledge in ensuring the ecological and socio-economic sustainability of natural resources. Sustainability or rather preparing children and young people for sustainable ways of life within sustainable communities and environments, locally and globally, is considered as the most fundamental aim of education (Booth 2011). At the end of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development it is therefore important to reflect whether and how education programs are oriented towards sustainable future.
Within the context of Ethiopian agro-pastoralism it can be claimed that the knowledge and skills of agro-pastoralists pastoralists are undervalued and their contribution to poverty alleviation often unknown or misunderstood by policy makers. This is because current education and development rhetoric in Ethiopia relegates the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of pastoralists to the margins and hardly involves TEK holders in education and development planning and processes that are currently affecting and changing the lives of pastoralists in Southern Ethiopia. Drawing on the expert local knowledge of the Mursi of Southern Ethiopia, we argue that TEK is an economic resource in itself and how, when harnessed, cultivated, and taught in pastoralist education programs would help in the future to spread resources beyond the few pastoralists in Mursi who are 'educated' (e.g. through local knowledge of food security, employment opportunities for pastoralists etc.) as well as to improve education quality and relevance.