Using the footpath analogy

For the past three years the Centre for Cosmovision and Indigenous Knowledge (CECIK) has been working in Northern Ghana with an approach based on Empathic Learning and Action (ELA) framework. This framework has been developed and tested to support development projects that allow peoples' religious beliefs and practices to be an active part of the planning process. In this case study, the Boosi tribe from Bongo, Northern Ghana worked with a CECIK representative to design an experiment to keep the invasion of 'devil weed' at bay. This involved using an analogy between the farmers' experimental design and the footpath to the village, as well as consultation with ancestral spirits. This paper details the scenario, the process and experimentation, and the outcome.