The Potential of Indigenous Institutions for Local Development: The Case of Hula Wereda, in Sidaama, Southern Ethiopia
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Date
2014-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Nowadays, the study of indigenous institutions has become one of the key issues among
increasing /lumber of scholars and institutions. Indigenous institutions can play a
significant role to achieve local development; this is because, they can offer reasonable
and locally adopted responses to local development problems or they can be combined
with scientific knowledge to improve productivity and living standards of the community.
Accordingly, close investigation and analysis of these institutions are very important in
local development point of view. This study was conducted to examine the potential
indigenous institutions for local development, in Hula Wereda of Sidaallla Zone,
Southern Ethiopia. In order to collect data, the study was utilized various data
generating instruments like key informants interviews, focus group discussions, personal
observations and secondary sources. For key informant interviews, 38 respondents were
involved and four focus group discussions were held in various parts of Wereda. The
sample was drawn by employing a pwposive, non-probability sampling procedure. The
finding of study reveals that indigenous institutions are based on norms and values of the
community and accessible to community members. The major benefits, these institutions
provide include local service delivery, conflict management, natural resource
management, local resource mobilizations, source of information and build sense of
community ownership in local development initiatives. Further, they have paramount
roles to enhance local agriculture, local income and to other local development
activities. Generally, they play various social, economic and political roles in local
development by filling the local development gaps of formal institutions. Accordingly, the
proposed suggestions provided in the conclusion section gives insight in to possible
strategies that could be adopted to utilize the roles of these institutions in local
development. Among others, the study suggests that it seems essential that local
development policies and programs must take into account these institutions; this would
be useful in the proper targeting appropriate solutions for local development problems.
Key Words: Indigenous Knowledge, Indigenous Institutions, Elders' Institution
(Chimessa System), Dee, Jirte, Seera, Qeexaala, Local Development, Hula, Sidaama,
Ethiopia.
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Keywords
Indigenous Knowledge, Indigenous Institutions