IIED and its partners are working to protect the traditional knowledge and innovation systems of smallholder farmers. The concept of collective biocultural heritage provides the common research framework for all these projects.
Two previous projects on 'Smallholder innovation for resilience' and 'Protecting community rights over traditional knowledge' are now complete. This website provides further information on all the projects, including all key research and findings.
The Potato Park Biocultural Heritage Territory near Pisaq in Peru is collectively owned by its 6,000 Quechua inhabitants (Photo: Khanh Tran-Thanh/IIED)
International Network of Mountain Indigenous Peoples (INMIP)
The International Network of Mountain Indigenous Peoples (INMIP) brings together mountain communities from 11 countries as they seek to revitalise biocultural heritage for climate-resilient and sustainable food systems. IIED provides communications, advocacy and capacity support for INMIP.
Establishing a biocultural heritage territory to protect Kenya’s Kaya forests
This project aims to protect biodiversity and improve livelihoods in the Mijikenda’s sacred Kaya forest landscapes in Kenya. It will establish a biocultural heritage territory that empowers Kaya elders to enforce traditional conservation rules and promote agroecological practices.
Indigenous food systems, biocultural heritage and agricultural resilience
IIED is working with partners in the UK, China, India and Kenya to establish a new partnership and network for interdisciplinary research on Indigenous food systems. The aim is to link humanities academics, agriculture researchers and Indigenous peoples to design new interdisciplinary research on Indigenous food systems past and present, from farm to plate, and enhance evidence on the role of Indigenous crops in agricultural resilience.Indigenous biocultural heritage for sustainable development
Indigenous biocultural heritage for sustainable development
IIIED is working with partners in China, India, Kenya and Peru to explore how the interlinked traditional knowledge, biodiversity, culture and landscapes – the biocultural heritage – of Indigenous Peoples can contribute to sustainable development. This research will contribute directly to establishing new biocultural heritage territories through a process that builds on the successful Potato Park model.
This project built on the 'Protecting community rights' project by continuing many of the action-research activities with communities in China, India, Kenya and Peru.
Protecting community rights over traditional knowledge: implications of customary laws and practices.
This project involved participatory action-research with indigenous and local communities in areas of important but threatened biocultural diversity in China, India, Kenya, Panama and Peru and is now finished.