The project was launched in 1998 and is now operating in Mozambique, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Activities in Swaziland will begin this year. The LinKS project is a regional effort in Southern Africa aimed at raising awareness about how rural men and women use and manage biological diversity. The project seeks to help development practitioners recognize that farmers have knowledge, practices and skills that are often highly sustainable and respectful of the natural ecosystems they depend on for their food and livelihoods. Men and women can have different knowledge about how to use and manage genetic resources that is derived from their different roles and responsibilities in the farming system. The project thus works with a diverse range of local institutions - both governmental and non-governmental - to strengthen their ability to recognize and value this knowledge and to use gender-responsive and participatory approaches in their work. "LinKS" is the acronym for "Local indigenous Knowledge Systems". The project is called LinKS, not only because it is a handy acronym, but, more important, because the project is a vehicle for exploring the linkages between the crucial issues of local knowledge systems, gender roles and relationships, food provision, and the conservation and management of agrobiodiversity. The communication strategy of the project is designed to help partner organizations create linkages at all levels - among themselves, with and between the rural communities, and with decision-makers - to share information about how local knowledge supports food security, livelihoods and the conservation of agrobiodiversity.
Gender, biodiversity and local knowledge systems project (LinKS)