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ANALYSING SOUTH AFRICAN INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE POLICY AND ITS ALIGNMENT TO GOVERNMENT’S ATTEMPTS TO PROMOTE INDIGENOUS VEGETABLES By Venencia Fortunate Shonhai A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Development Studies. School of Built Environment and Development Studies University Of Kwazulu-Natal, Durban Supervisor: Dr Mvuselelo Ngcoya December 2016 COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES DECLARATION - PLAGIARISM I, Venencia Fortunate Shonhai, declare that 1. The research reported in this thesis, except where otherwise indicated, is my original research. 2. This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or examination at any other university. 3. This thesis does not contain other persons‘ data, pictures, graphs or other information, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other persons. 4. This thesis does not contain other persons' writing, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other researchers. Where other written sources have been quoted, then: a. Their words have been re-written but the general information attributed to them has been referenced. b. Where their exact words have been used, their writing has been placed in inside quotation marks, and referenced. 5. This thesis does not contain text, graphics or tables copied and pasted from the internet, unless specifically acknowledged, and the source being detailed in the thesis and in the References sections. Signed …………………………………………………………………………. ABSTRACT The study was concerned with examining if DST policy on indigenous knowledge is aligned with practice on the ground. It focussed on understanding the formulation process of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) policy enacted by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in 2004. It also explored the implementation process of IKS policy by investigating the Agriculture Research Council (ARC) project funded by DST that promoted indigenous vegetables as a component of IKS. The first phase of the study was an investigation of the formulation of the 2004 IKS policy using FaircIough‘s critical discourse analysis method and a decolonial theoretical framework. The study revealed that the formulation of the DST‘s, IKS policy of 2004 involved the co-operation and participation of stakeholders from various backgrounds, including indigenous knowledge holders and practitioners. The policy formulation process included people from different backgrounds in order to recognise the diverse nature of the subject as well as to redress colonial tendencies that discriminate against IKS holders and practitioners in decision-making and benefitting from the knowledge and resources. Critical discourse analysis revealed the African Renaissance, the commodification of IKS, the integration of indigenous knowledge and science, and Equity as dominant discourses in the policy. The study shows how ‗naturalisation‘ of the above discourses in the IKS policy has tended to promote some IKS components while marginalising others. The second phase of the study employed a food sovereignty theoretical framework to investigate the practices, successes and challenges of the KwaMkhwanazi community in KwaZulu-Natal, where the ARC and the University of Zululand (UNIZULU) promoted indigenous vegetables. Food sovereignty analysis of the case study shows that indigenous vegetables (IVs) were promoted because of their many positive attributes, namely their high nutritional value, adaptation to adverse climate conditions, potential for income generation, and resistance to disease and pest. Small-scale farmers were i shown as embracing indigenous vegetables and farming practices that enables them to be food secure. Small-scale famers were hindered by numerous challenges in attaining food sovereignty with the question of land shortage taking center stage. The study adds to the body of knowledge that reveals experiences of food sovereignty on the ground. It departs from previous investigations on IVs that predominantly examined the nutritional, medicinal and agronomical factors, instead, this study places IVs in the context of food politics, identity issues, and cultural and socio-economic factors. This study has implications for policy makers and small-scale farmers in their practices. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I thank God for his love and grace that sustains me always. I am indebted to many people for financial, intellectual, and personal support throughout the course of this study. I wish to express my gratitude to my supervisor Dr Mvuselelo Ngcoya for his encouragement, academic and non-academic support throughout the study. To him, I am truly thankful for his guidance that enabled me to develop an understanding of decolonial and food sovereignty theories and their application to Indigenous Knowledge Policy implementation. To Dr Boughey who diligently edited my work, I am grateful. Special thanks go to my husband, Addmore Shonhai for his financial, moral and spiritual support while I was pursuing this study. I am grateful to my children Tariro, Rutendo and Matikudza for accommodating me during my intellectual pursuit. To my parents Juliet and Phillip Chigwendere, thank you for your outstanding support. I am also grateful to all the small-scale farmers from KwaMkhwanazi for their willingness to participate in this study. To Hilde, Vicky, and Sibusiso for various contributions in the data collection process. To Kena, Winifred, Immaculate and Vimbai I will always cherish the moments we shared during the course of this study. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge the National Research Foundation and the University Of KwaZulu-Natal, College of Humanities for financial support. iii CONTENTS ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................... i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................. iii CONTENTS ...................................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................... ix LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................. x LIST OF APPENDICES .................................................................................... xi LIST OF ACRONYMS ..................................................................................... xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................ 1 1.1 Background ............................................................................................. 1 1.2 Research Problem ................................................................................... 3 1.3 Justification of the Study ......................................................................... 4 1.4 Context .................................................................................................... 4 1.4.1 KwaMkhwanazi rural community ....................................................... 5 1.4.2 The University of Zululand ................................................................ 8 1.4.3 The Agricultural Research Council .................................................. 11 1.5 Research Aim and Objectives ............................................................... 13 1.5.1 Aim .................................................................................................. 13 1.5.2 Objectives ....................................................................................... 13 1.6 Research Questions .............................................................................. 13 1.7 Conceptualising key terms .................................................................... 14 1.7.1 Indigenous knowledge .................................................................... 14 1.7.2 Indigenous vegetables .................................................................... 16 1.7.3 Western knowledge ......................................................................... 17 1.8 Theoretical Frameworks ........................................................................ 17 1.9 Outline of Chapters ............................................................................... 19 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................ 21 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................... 21 2.2 Indigenous knowledge during the colonial and post-colonial period ...... 21 2.3 International initiatives to protect indigenous knowledge ....................... 28 2.4 Regional initiatives to protect indigenous knowledge ............................ 33 2.5 Protection and promotion of indigenous knowledge in South Africa ...... 36 2.6 Indigenous knowledge in agriculture development ................................ 41 2.7 Indigenous knowledge and the conservation of biodiversity .................. 44 iv 2.8 Indigenous knowledge and health ......................................................... 47 2.9 Indigenous vegetables .......................................................................... 48 2.9.1 Collection and Consumption of indigenous vegetables ................... 49 2.9.2 Nutritional value of indigenous vegetables and their role in combating food insecurity ........................................................................ 50 2.9.3 Medicinal properties of indigenous vegetables ............................... 52 2.9.4