7 Co-engaged Lear ning Pra ctices for Equi ty, Livelih oods and Devel opme nt 60 linking the community of Permatang Pasir, Balik Pulau with private firms, through corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes. Project Activities RCE Penang has been involved in the documentation of traditional knowledge through exploratory and actionoriented research, creating awareness and fostering partnerships through networking and capacity building. The main goal of the project is to create a different, more participatory, and at times informal, approach to learning, through engagement of multiple stakeholders. In terms of contributions to well-being, awareness programmes have instilled confidence around the need and importance of conserving herbal plants. Planting them in home gardens and utilising them in food and to some extent for primary health care purposes has been a motivating factor. The development of torch ginger into commercial products has not only contributed positively towards socio-economic attainments, but also enhanced selfesteem and a sense of entrepreneurship and motivation among villagers. The project has become a catalyst, spurring more innovative models of action, such as: the use of abandoned agricultural land for torch ginger farming; the development of a cooperative market for the products; and the opening up of a small shop within the village to market the products at village level. Integration of knowledge was achieved through collaborations among the main partners of RCE Penang – including Sidratul Enterprise – and various stakeholders involved in the programme, especially the villagers, community children, community housewives and the agricultural cluster of Permatang Pasir. RCE Penang acts as a liaison between industry and the agricultural cluster group. Sidratul Enterprise, as a private sector industry, develops the product through their CSR scheme while the agricultural cluster provides the sustainable supply of torch ginger to meet the demand of the industry. Exploratory Research: Documenting of Socio-economic Profiles and Practices of Indigenous Traditional Healers In Malaysia the most detailed inventory of medicinal plants was prepared in 1930 by Burkill and Haniff and had never been updated since. There was an urgent need to investigate the current practice by revisiting areas covered by Burkill and Haniff and by identifying the differences in the use of herbal plants knowledge then and now. The exploratory research was planned as the first activity to create baseline data, including demographic, socio-economic profiling and the practice of healers. The exploratory study was also important to identify genuine traditional healers and establish contacts with them for future action-oriented research and awareness programmes. Findings of the exploratory research show that traditional healers are still an important source for health management among local communities in the Northern part of Malaysia. It also shows that healers have their own specialties and niches, although in some cases some can be a general practitioner as well. Most of the healers carry the legacy from their family, while several learn from other healers. The roles come with responsibilities and accountabilities and traditional healers are also subjected to scrutiny by villagers. Traditional healers are often looked up to by the villagers as contributing to the wellness of the people in the village, thus they need to maintain their good reputation and image by delivering a good service. They have not been fully integrated into the mainstream health system. In order to promote their integration, a better understanding of their practices is needed, and thus more studies need to be done in other parts of Malaysia. The most important contribution of this study is the development of a traditional healers’ database as a point of reference for future research and implementation. In terms of partnership, the research has identified 48 traditional healers in the northern states of Peninsular Malaysia, … traditional knowledge on herbal medicine has diminished and is only guarded by aging healers. Dissemination of knowledge to the younger generation is not common, to the point of being almost non-existent. Thus, there is a danger of losing this important cultural heritage forever, if it is not documented.
Traditional Knowledge and Biodiversity
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