Indigenous agricultural knowledge and forest conservation in Ethiopia: the case of Ilu Abba Bor, since the 1920s

This study aims to examine indigenous knowledge in agriculture and forest conservation in Ethiopia’s Ilu Abba Bor region since the 1920s. The study employed a qualitative research method. The study relies on oral and written sources. The oral information was collected from purposefully selected key informants’. The data collected from the interview in different districts’ of the study area was substantiated with the data collected from written documents. The study reveals that agricultural knowledge and forest conservation are essential parts of the culture and history of society. The purpose of the conservation was for cultural and ecological values, livelihood, and construction. However, the forest, which had been conserved since the 17th century, had started to be adversely influenced by the Ethiopian state’s interference with a strong interest in having control over resources since the 1920s. The interference negatively affected socio-culture, political empowerment, self-governance, and the knowledge system, which includes rituals and rules that restrict access and regulate the proper consumption of natural resources. The study concludes that indigenous knowledge has positively contributed to efficiency, effectiveness, sustainable agriculture, and forest conservation. The way forward suggested is integrating customary rules emanating from indigenous knowledge with modern rules and incorporating a development focused on sustainable agriculture and forest environments.