Indigenous knowledge and irrigation development in Tanzania

Abstract

Tanzanian experience with irrigation is used to illustrate the important role of indigenous knowledge in developing and managing irrigated agriculture. The conceptual framework emphasizes the fact that indigenous knowledge is a dynamic process and that irrigating communities are capable of assimilating and adapting outside knowledge and experiences. The paper examines how the selected schemes were constructed, how they are managed, their developmental impact as well as their impact on the environment. Natural calamities like floods and droughts stimulate local innovation, experimentation, culture-based knowledge and leadership to enable the villagers to design and construct water management systems that improve agricultural activities.