Have you ever considered the value of indigenous fruit or the cosmetic potential of indigenous flora? These were two of the topics that researchers from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) Centre discussed at the recent 45th Annual Congress of the South African Association of Botanists.
The congress, themed “Conserving biodiversity to ensure our future”, was hosted by the Department of Botany and Plant Biotechnology at the University of Johannesburg.
Six representatives from the centre, based at the NWU’s campus in Mahikeng, delivered research papers on various topics. These included ethno veterinary, diversity and value of indigenous fruits as well as the cosmetics potential of indigenous flora from the North West and Limpopo provinces.
“These papers are part of the on-going endeavour by the IKS Centre to highlight the rich indigenous knowledge systems among the various ethnic groups in South Africa and Africa as a whole,” said Dr Oladapo Aremu, a lecturer at the centre.
“The presentations by the IKS team was well received and new collaboration was initiated with the potential to generate more research output in the near future.”
During the conference award ceremony Mr Chakale Mmpati’s presentation titled “Ethno-veterinary healthcare practices in communal livestock husbandry among Batswana in Morokweng village, North West Province”, was announced the best oral presentation delivered by fourth-year students.
“This is a further indication of the value and recognition of research conducted at the IKS centre,” added Dr Aremu.
