Integrating local and biomedical knowledge and communication: Experiences from KINET project in Southern Tanzania

This study examines social and cultural dimensions of the Kilombero, Treated Net (KINET) project, a large-scale social marketing program of insecticide treated nets for malaria control in two rural districts in Southern Tanzania from 1996 to 2000. Drawing on a model distinguishing between indigenous and exogenous components of knowledge and communication, it uses a range of ethnographic methods to investigate the flow of information between the project and the villagers. This approach facilitates a shift of perspective from a static to a dynamic view of knowledge and emphasizes the interface of indigenous and exogenous knowledge and communication. The findings document that extended ethnographic research throughout the project cycle taps the neglected potential of indigenous knowledge, provides rich information on the ways people communicate about and respond to the project, and thus helps the team of experts tailor the intervention to local needs and conditions. Operational research based on ethnographic fieldwork should be further refined and become an integral part of health and other interventions from the initial design to evaluation. Copyright © 2005 by the Society for Applied Anthropology.