Abstract

This dissertation is about the meaning and relevance, in today's world, of indigenous knowledge, and particularly the traditional cosmologies and sacred beliefs that underly this knowledge. The case of Vedic knowledge in Nepal is studied to illustrate traditional agriculture within a cosmological framework and to provide an holistic, indigenous perspective on development with emphasis on sustainable, indigenous approaches to agriculture and related sectors in Nepal. Indigenous knowledge is defined from an indigenous perspective and an alternative, emic approach to understanding the role of indigenous knowledge in development and the synthesis of modern and indigenous knowledge systems is proposed. Implications are drawn for agricultural education philosophy in Nepal, and conclusions are reached and recommendations made for the global approach to indigenous knowledge in light of the indigenous perspective