Sharing Innovative Experiences (Vol.7)

POSTSCRIPT

This is the seventh volume in a series of monographs published by the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Special Unit for Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (TCDC) that are designed to explore "best practices" in the application of science and technology to solve real-world problems in the developing world, and also the second volume prepared by the Third World Network of Scientific Organizations (TWNSO) in this series.

The Third World Network of Scientific Organizations (TWNSO) is delighted to have been designated the implementing agency for both monographs and is thankful for UNDP/TCDC's support. We hope that these volumes will help to promote our shared goals of conveying to a broad audience the South's wide range of successful, yet often ignored, experiences in the application of science and technology. Equally important, we hope that these efforts serve as platform from which to launch strong institutional partnerships that will help to advance the economic and social well-being of people in the developing world.

The first volume in this series, Sharing Innovative Experiences: Successful Initiatives in Science and Technology in the South, consisted of 29 case studies from 17 countries. These experiences ranged from a project to improve the "ground-breaking" capabilities of ox-drawn ploughs in Ethiopia through the redesign and reconstruction of one of the most fundamental tools of humankind (helping to boost agricultural productivity in this desert nation) to the successful launch of Brazil's aircraft industry fuelled by the manufacture and export of medium-sized transport jets and military-training turboprops (showing that developing countries, under certain circumstances, can compete successfully in the high-tech global market place).

This volume, Conservation and Wise Use of Indigenous and Medicinal Plants, focuses on an issue of primary importance to the developing world's future economic and environmental well-being: the South's rich diversity of indigenous and medicinal plants and the potential economic and environmental value that could be derived from such resources. No other topic, except perhaps new information technologies, has generated as much interest in scientific research and policy circles throughout the developing world.

Consisting of 12 case studies from as many nations, this volume offers a broad cross section of successful programmes and policies that have tapped the enormous potential of the South's flora. On the one hand, these experiences examine the immediate benefits that may be generated by these plants; on the other hand, the experiences explore the plants' potential long-term impact on economic and environmental sustainability.

As Atta-ur-Rahman, Minister of Science and Technology, and M. Iqbal Choudhary, Professor, H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, University of Karachi, Pakistan, write in the introduction to this volume, not only have indigenous and medicinal plants served an important role in defining cultural traditions throughout the South for thousands of years, but today "25 percent of all prescribed medicines in the developed world contain ingredients from medicinal plants found in the developing world."

Research efforts at the Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders (BIRDHEM) and the Malagasy Institute of Applied Research (IMRA), both of which are described in this volume, indicate that traditional use of such commonly found plants as fenugreek (Trigonella foenumgraecum) and Java plums (Eugenia jambolana) for the treatment of diabetes may ultimately have an enormous impact on the treatment of this disorder throughout the world. Research efforts at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation's (EMBRAPA) National Center for Genetic Research and Biotechnology (CENARGEN), another case study included in this monograph, have helped to resuscitate the use of ancient maize seeds that had been largely confined to seed banks following an ill-advised switch to commercial monoculture production in the 1970s. The result of this seed rehabilitation effort has been a return to economic-and cultural-stability in a region that had been destabilized by a dizzying headlong rush into "agricultural modernization." Similarly, the work of the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in India, (CIMAP) still another case study presented in the pages that follow, shows that efforts to expand the cultivation of an improved variety of menthol mint (Mentha arvensis) has helped boost the income of Indian farmers by enabling them to cultivate an additional crop between the harvest of potatoes and wheat and the planting of rice. Equally important, the effort has created an Indian "mint belt," making India one of the world's most important suppliers of an agricultural commodity that is used widely in food, flavouring, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.

What accounts for the developing world's growing interest in indigenous and medicinal plants? Five major factors help to explain the rising level of research and development initiatives.

□ The developing world is rich in these resources-in fact, richer than the developed world where monoculture agriculture and excessive development have eaten away at biodiversity.
□ The developing world has used these resources for food consumption and medicinal treatments for thousands of years. Experts estimate that 80 percent of the 5 billion people living in the developing world continue to turn to herbal medicines for meeting their basic health needs -that constitutes about one-half of the world's population.
□ While the World Health Organization (WHO) recently identified 21,000 species of medicinal plants, an estimated 250,000 species of higher plants exist in nature. A potential treasure trove of plants awaits scientific investigation, a prospect that spurs excitement, both in the South and North, for the expanded use of the Earth's flora to address basic human needs.
□ The developed world has shown increasing interest both in consuming "natural" foods and in relying on "natural" remedies to treat their medical ailments. Such sentiment has vastly broadened the potential market for indigenous and medicinal plants from a local and regional to global scale. In many instances, indigenous and medicinal plants now generate interest from international research institutes and global commercial enterprises.
□ Governments throughout the developing world have expressed a willingness to invest both in the development of these resources and the technical processes required to add value to the final product. At the same time, the move toward more market-oriented economic development programmes have opened the door for partnerships with private pharmaceutical companies from abroad.

But such interest has often been accompanied by significant caution. The third world is filled with examples of global "partnerships" that have generated economic and social benefits for Northern participants while leaving Southern participants with nothing to show for their efforts. Such fears remain prevalent among many developing world scientists, scientific administrators and public officials currently involved in the promotion of medicinal and indigenous plant research and development policies and programmes. The experience of the University of Malaysia at Sarawak, outlined in this volume suggests that mutually beneficial South-North partnerships, matching the South's deeply rooted traditional knowledge with the North's technological prowess, are possible.

Forging such partnerships, however, require transparent and enforceable contractual relationships, well-trained and well-educated workers in both camps, an appreciation for each another's cultural and social mores, and a willingness to equitably share the profits derived from these joint venture based on the contributions that each party makes to the effort. All of this entails the development of trust that can only be built through long-term negotiation and workplace collaboration. Another avenue of progress lies in South-South cooperation, which the just-launched Swaziland Center for Research in Medicinal and Indigenous Food Plants, University of Swaziland (an initiative described in this volume), hopes to promote through wide-ranging research and training programmes that are being designed to meld modem medical research techniques and practices with traditional knowledge and cultural patterns of behaviour.

Forging effective strategies for the development and sustainable use of the South's indigenous and medicinal plants will carry long-term benefits beyond the immediate impacts on the plant resources and economy. "Lessons learned" about the relationship between traditional culture and contemporary science; the parameters of South-South cooperation and South-North partnerships; the relationship among research, training and policy; and the appropriate roles of government, universities, and grassroots organizations could be applied to a host of critical issues facing the South, including information technologies, water resource management and renewable energy development.

This project would not have been possible without the financial support and guidance provided by UNDP/TCDC. We would also like to thank the staff at the H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, University of Karachi, Pakistan, particularly Professor M. Iqbal Choudhary who played a pivotal role in organizing a successful workshop in Karachi, Pakistan, where the case studies that serve as the core of this volume were initially presented and discussed. In addition, we would like to thank Jane Shaw and Christine Wilson for their valuable editorial assistance in the preparation of the manuscript. The narrative details of these experiences have become much more accessible to readers as a result of their efforts. And we would like to thank Gisela Isten, Helen Martin and Sheila Khawaja, part of the excellent secretarial staff at TWAS/TWNSO, who have devoted their talents and skills to this project.

Finally, we would be remiss if we did not mention that this monograph marks not just an end but a beginning. First, we hope that it provides a "textual" basis for the development of a long-term partnership among all those who have participated in this effort. To promote such a partnership, we plan to create an interactive website that helps researchers, administrators and political officials interested in the conservation and sustainable use of indigenous and medicinal plants throughout the developing world to stay in touch with one another for the purposes of sharing of ideas and experiences. The goal is to provide a forum in which participants can learn continually from one another. Second, we plan to build upon this experience to develop similar projects in a variety of science-based upon this experience to develop similar projects in a variety of science-based fields of critical importance to the South-putting together a "network of networks" to help promote South-South cooperation. This is a dream shared by TWNSO, UNDP/TCDC and many other organizations seeking to build a strong foundation for science-based development in the developing world. We hope that Sharing Innovative Experiences in the Conservation and Wise Use of Indigenous and Medicinal Plants provides another important pillar of support in this ongoing effort.

Mohamed H. A. Hassan
Secretary General
Third World Network of Scientific Organizations

Daniel Schaffer
Public Information Officer
Third World Network of Scientific Organizations
Trieste, Italy