LOCAL AGRICULTURAL KNOWLEDGE CONSTRUCTION AMONG THE GIRIAMA PEOPLE OF RURAL COASTAL KENYA by RANDALL D. BECKLOFF (Under the Direction of Sharan Merriam) ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to understand how local agricultural knowledge is constructed and disseminated in a rural community in coastal Kenya among the Giriama ethnic group. Local agricultural knowledge was of special interest as it is vital to life in rural Giriama communities. The research questions that guided this study were: 1. In this community, what factors shape the process of local agricultural knowledge construction? 2. In this community, how do adults learn local agricultural knowledge? In order to provide an in-depth and focused perspective on this process, a qualitative case study research design was selected. Data were collected in Kenya during a five-month residence. Field observations, interviews, and examination of artifacts constituted the data set. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method. This inductive analysis process revealed that local agricultural knowledge was shaped first by the modernizing influences of individualization, government agricultural practices, school attendance, and the increased monetization of life. In addition to modernizing influences, evolving gender roles, time and energy constraints, and access to knowledge also shaped local knowledge. It was also found that local agricultural knowledge was learned through observation, trial and error, social interaction, conferring with respected people, and oral literature. These findings prompted four conclusions: (1) modernization was a pervasive force that shapes the construction of local knowledge, (2) that local knowledge construction is strongly shaped by gender, (3) that local agricultural knowledge construction was an informal process, and (4) that ensuring community survival was the principal motivation influencing the construction of local knowledge. Implications for practice drawn from these conclusions are that adult educators must consider gender as they plan and implement interventions and that interventions that utilize and build on informal methods are likely to be most effective. Finally, it was suggested that future research should more fully document and understand the educative function of oral literature and that additional research to understand the impact of age on local knowledge construction should be pursued. INDEX WORDS: Indigenous knowledge, Local knowledge, Knowledge construction, Informal education, Adult education in Africa, Rural development, Agricultural development, Kenya, Malindi, Marafa, Giriama, Giryama, Mijikenda LOCAL AGRICULTURAL KNOWLEDGE CONSTRUCTION AMONG THE GIRIAMA PEOPLE OF RURAL COASTAL KENYA by RANDALL D. BECKLOFF B.S., Oklahoma State University, 1984 M.I.A., The School for International Training, 1996 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2009 © 2009 Randall D. Beckloff All Rights Reserved LOCAL AGRICULTURAL KNOWLEDGE CONSTRUCTION AMONG THE GIRIAMA PEOPLE OF RURAL COASTAL KENYA by RANDALL D. BECKLOFF Major Professor: Sharan Merriam Committee: Bradley Courtenay Talmadge Guy Akinloye Ojo Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2009 iv DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to my parents, George and Lahoma Beckloff, who throughout my life have supported me, shared their wisdom and values with me, and passed on much common sense. I cannot imagine trying to navigate life without these precious gifts. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation is the product of many people’s generous assistance. While not all can be mentioned, I gratefully acknowledge the guidance, encouragement, time, and wise counsel given by the Chair of my committee, Dr. Sharan Merriam. Drs. Talmadge Guy, Akinloye Ojo, and Bradley Courtney also provided much needed and much appreciated guidance and encouragement to this process. I also express my appreciation to the Government of Kenya for granting me permission to collect data in this amazing country to which I have been repeatedly drawn over the past twenty plus years. I gratefully acknowledge that this study would not have been possible without the support of dear friends from the Mulangaza Integrated Development Program in Malindi, Kenya. Finally, I express my deep gratitude and admiration for the members of the Mudzi homestead who welcomed me to their homes with much generosity and kindness— asante sana! vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.........................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES...................................................................................................................viii LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................ix CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................1 Western Hegemony ...............................................................................................1 African Indigenous Knowledge .............................................................................6 The Giriama Context ...........................................................................................11 Problem Statement ..............................................................................................12 Purpose of the Study............................................................................................13 Significance of the Study.....................................................................................14 Definition of Terms .............................................................................................15 2 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ..........................................................................17 Western Domination of Africa.............................................................................17 African Indigenous Knowledge ...........................................................................28 The Giriama Context ...........................................................................................39 Chapter Summary................................................................................................45 3 RESEARCH METHODS.........................................................................................47 Design of the Study.............................................................................................47 vii Data Collection....................................................................................................53 Data Analysis ......................................................................................................62 Validity and Reliability........................................................................................66 Researcher Bias, Assumptions, Limitations, and Translation Issues .....................68 Chapter Summary................................................................................................70 4 CASE DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................72 Location of the Case Studied ...............................................................................72 Study participants................................................................................................88 Chapter Summary................................................................................................91 5 FINDINGS ..............................................................................................................92 Factors that Shape the Process.............................................................................93 How Adults Learn Local Agricultural Knowledge .............................................123 Chapter Summary..............................................................................................147 6 CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS....................149 Conclusions and Discussion ..............................................................................149 Implications for Practice....................................................................................165 Suggestions for Future Research........................................................................172 Chapter Summary..............................................................................................174 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................176 viii LIST OF TABLES Page Table 4.1: Study participants at Mudzi ......................................................................................89 Table 4.2: Study participants not Mudzi Family Members.........................................................90 Table 5.1: Study Findings..........................................................................................................93 ix LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 4.1: Maps of Kenya and Malindi District........................................................................75 Figure 4.2: Vasco da Gama Point ..............................................................................................76 Figure 4.3: View of the Main Street in Marafa ..........................................................................81