Dec. 82/Jan. 83 RAIN Page 22 :"Tl ~ .~ E '< ~ recolonize the paddy field. These fish restrict the population of the malarial mosquito. The wallow provides a suitable habitat for the breeding of the non-venomous rat snake, which eats as many as 20 rats and mice a month. The water monitor lizard also requires the habitat provided by the wallow. The lizard eats poisonous snakes and crabs, fhe latter of which burrow holes in the bunds (retaining walls) of the rice field, causing the field to lose its water retention ability. In this case, a farmer has to spend several days repairing the bunds each season. A final use of the buffalo wallow is as a soaking pool for coconut fronds to be braided into roofing thatch. The dry fronds need to soak for two to three weeks before they're pliable enough to braid into cajun. Within the buffalo wallow lies ecological information which assists in the regulation of the rice agroecosystem. If the significance of the buffalo wallow and its ecological relationships is not fully understood, then often this information is likely to be lost, never to be considered for its merit. Examples abound which attest to the loss of valuable ecological information as traditional systems of agriculture are being altered and abandoned throughout the world. All too often, our approaches to development fail to consider the ecological information, the dynamic interactions and relationships of an ecosystem, which traditionally characterize Third World patterns of living, and hence, village life. The wisdom inherent in these patterns of life may be more fully appreciated in a science which deals with the specific nature and characteristics of the traditional system under study. We must recognize the context in which development can logically occur. Dr. Senanayake contends that: "If present trends continue, the traditional agricultural system of Sri Lanka will soon disappear like the buffalo waillow, and with it all Ihe information that could be utilized in the design of a low energy, sustainable method of agriculture. Can humanity afford such losses?" Once we change the integrity of the physical system, the information it contains is irretrievable. Our approach to scientific research is of no value or relevance in the Third World unless it can begin to preserve the physical environment and capture the essential qualities and dynamics of rural village life. In a ense, we are losing the ecological resiliency of evolved natural systems, only to be replaced by crude and simplistic counterparts which are often incompatible with local circumstances. We must have a scientific paradigm which includes these ecological principles to guide our understanding of development in a more complete sense. nly in this way can the real learning process begin as research findings relate more closely to the patterns of living which uniquely define each Third World community. The time has come to realize science's full potential in serving the needs of people of the Third World. A context specific science is a step in that direction.DD Jim Riker and his wife, Roz, were interns at the Rain house this last summer. T/ley spent last year ill Sri Lanka as part of their studies at the University of California at Davis. Currently, they are he/pillg to put toget/lel' the Illstitute of Slistainability. ACCESS A Buffalo Ta le: Puverty ill India, WIN, Oct. 15, 1982, p. 11. Til e Ecological , Energetic, and Agronomic Systems of Ancient and Mode rn Sri Lfl.J1 ka, by Tanil Senanayake, Report 5, pp. 20, $3.50 post-paid. Tile Ecology of the Buffalo Wallow in Sri Lanka; A Diminishing Resource. audiovisual presentation based upon the paper above by Ranll Senanayake, 25-35mm slides, with printed and audio sette narration and original paper, $25.00. From: The Institute of Sustainability, P.O. Box 1055, Davis, CA 956111 The Water Buffirlo: New Prospects for an Ullderlililized Animal, National Academy Press, pp. 1116, free by request from: Board on dence and Technology for International Development, Commission on International Relations OH-217), National Research Council, 2101 Constitution Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20418
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