THE USE AND VALUE OF MULTIPLE METHODS TO CAPTURE THE DIVERSITY OF ENDOGENOUS AGROFORESTRY KNOWLEDGE - AN EXAMPLE FROM RWANDA

To understand endogenous agroforestry knowledge and the processes behi nd the generation of such knowledge, multiple methods are needed. In t his paper, the identification and characterization of farmer agrofores try experts will illustrate the necessity of multiple methods. Nonform al, participatory methods were employed to identify the research subje cts (farmer agroforestry experts) and to gain insights into the emic c onception and understanding of 'knowledge' and 'agroforestry'. An adap tation of the wealth ranking game was used to determine (1) the resear ch subjects using locally defined criteria of 'being knowledgeable abo ut agroforestry', and (2) how this knowledge is distributed within a c ommunity. Additional information, approaching the subject from an etic perspective, was gathered using formal surveys to collect socioeconom ic data and to make an inventory of all trees and tree species. Study results indicate that exclusive reliance on either emic or etic perspe ctives would not have yielded satisfactory results, as there is a diff erentiation in agroforestry knowledge and agroforestry systems between different groups of farmers. It is, therefore, recommended that futur e studies of endogenous knowledge systems combine qualitative and quan titative, participatory and formal data collection methods as they pro vide complementary and supplementary perspectives on a complex reality .