RELATIONSHIP OF INFORMATION ACCESSIBILITY, KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION, MANAGEMENT AND TRANSFER SYSTEM AMONG TRADITIONAL HERBAL MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS IN SOUTH – WEST, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

The study investigates the relationship of information accessibility, knowledge acquisition, management and transfer system among traditional herbal medical practitioners in South-west, Nigeria. It was imperative to go into the study because the orthodox  medicine  has  its  limitations  on  human  health,  while  traditional  herbal medicine is gaining popularity as a result of the fact that its utilisation has little or no side-effects. The problem of accessing information, acquiring knowledge, managing such knowledge and transferring it has been hindering the universal acceptance and utilisation of such traditional herbal medicines. Among the specific objectives of the study is to determine the channels of information by traditional herbal medical practitioners, identify sources of knowledge acquisition by traditional herbal medical practitioners, find out how knowledge acquired by the traditional herbal medical practitioners is transferred and to ascertain the management strategies adopted by traditional  herbal  medical  practitioners  in  South-West  Nigeria.  Hence,  this  study attempts to shed light on the interwoven nature of these variables for overall efficiency and effectiveness of the entire health care system in Nigeria. The study population was made up of 4,408 traditional herbal medical practitioners in the neighbouring states that constituted the south-west geo-political zone of Nigeria. Multi-stage procedure, random and stratified sampling techniques were used for the study. Firstly, random purposive sampling technique was  employed to select the target  population comprising Ekiti, Osun and Oyo states. Thereafter, by means of stratified sampling technique, 539 traditional herbal medical practitioners were selected from the target population as the sample for the study.  Approximately equal proportion of the traditional herbal medical practitioners was selected from the three states. The research instruments are two: the first is a structured questionnaire titled: “Information accessibility, knowledge acquisition, and management transfer system among traditional herbal medical practitioners questionnaire”. The second instrument is an unstructured interview that sought  the  respondent‟s answers  to  questions  on  traditional  herbal  medicine.  The validity of the results was ensured through the supervisors and other experts in the field of library and information science / Technology, while the reliability was ascertained by means of spilt-half statistical method. The data were analysed by means of frequency counts, percentages, mean, standard deviation and Pearson product moment correlation coefficient. The results indicate that, there is significant relationship between: (a)information accessibility and knowledge transfer system (r = 0.503); (b) knowledge acquisition and knowledge transfer system (r =0.280); (c) information accessibility and knowledge system (r = 0. 722) among the traditional herbal medical practitioners in South-west, Nigeria. The study concluded that traditional herbal medical practitioners in South West Nigeria accessed and sourced information on traditional herbal medicines through oral transmission, by attending association meetings and consulting community leaders and  parents  or  extended  relations.  It  was  recommended  that  the traditional herbal medical practitioners should make use of the Internet, social media, electronic media and library facilities to access information, acquire knowledge, as well as manage and transfer such information and knowledge.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0       INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background to the Study

Various countries of the world such as Japan, China and Korea have claimed that health care policies geared towards improvement of the health status of their people is through traditional herbal medical system. This is borne out of the fact that good health care is instrumental to the well-being of every citizen and subsequently the socio-economic development of their various societies. Information can be thought of as the intent of unpredictability, it answers the question of an entity and define both its essence and the nature of its character. It is knowledge obtained from investigation, study or instruction. However, Information accessibility refers to the extent to which one has access to the relevant information. In other words, the extent to which the relevant information gets to the individual who needs it. It is one thing for the resources to be available and it is another thing to be accessible. Whatsoever is available but not accessible is useless. Only what is accessible is usable information. It is usually highlighted that information resources and their creators and users constitute an intellectual influence. Library and information centers are not only receptacles of books and materials or organisation of knowledge, they are vital and influential centers of such intellectual communities (Nwachukwu 2008).

On the other hand , knowledge acquisition refers to the extent to which an individual receives   the knowledge they need to solve a problem or use it within   a specific framework. It is the process of extracting, structuring and organising knowledge from one  source,  usually  human  experts.  Knowledge  acquisition  is  an  important  and necessary process as everything is now based on knowledge-from oral to writing and reading skills, to even use of technology. Knowledge acquisition process is the correct way   by which you can get accurate knowledge. Knowledge is power. Therefore its acquisition is essential for individuals and organisations. Knowledge acquisition can be defined as the situation in which the organisation and individuals obtain the required knowledge that helps them accomplish their work efficiently, easily, and at the lowest possible cost (Ndagna, 2000).

Management is the process of administering and controlling the affairs of the organisation irrespective of its nature, type, structure and size. Management can be said to be the coordination and administration of tasks to achieve a goal. Such administration activities  include  setting  the  organisation‟s strategy and  coordinating  the  efforts  to accomplish these  objectives through the application of available resources.It acts as a guide to a group of people working in the organisation and coordinating their efforts, towards the attainment of the common objectives. Moreover, knowledge management refers to the degree to which a person can utilise and store specific knowledge so that it can be made useful to others or oneself in future (Uriarte,2008).

Transfer system refers to a set of legal, technical and procedural arrangements for the transfer of knowledge or assets. It is the collection, preservation and transmission of knowledge  from   one   organisation   to   another   or  among  individuals.   However, knowledge transfer refers o the degree to which information and knowledge can be mobilised to reach individuals who need such information and knowledge to solve specific problems or utilise them within a specific framework (Umah and Amah, 2013)

Traditional herbal medicine is described as the totality of all knowledge and practices, whether explicable or not, used in diagnosis, prevention and elimination of physical, mental, or social imbalance relying exclusively on practical experience and observation handed down from generation to generation verbally or in written form. Traditional medical practitioner  according to WHO (2013) is a person who is recognised by the community as  someone  versatile  and  competent  in  providing  health  care  by using animal, plant and mineral substances, and other methods based on social, cultural and religious practice.

However, there are strong indications that traditional health care systems are still in use by majority of the people not only in Africa but across the world (Cook, 2009). The traditional health care system has continued to thrive not only in the rural areas where over 70 per cent of the population depend on traditional treatment but also in the urban centres which have greater access to orthodox medical facilities. The stiff opposition to traditional medical practice from official quarters has not whittled down its level of patronage by the people simply because it was developed in response to the dictates of their environment. Examples of traditional medical practitioners are herbalists, diviners, faith healers, traditional surgeons. All these traditional medical practitioners need information to support their work.

Traditional medicine has played important roles in human society from past centuries to date.  It  illustrates  the  medical  knowledge  practices,  which  improved  for  several centuries ago in various societies before the era of modern Allopathic or Homopathic Medicine began (Alan, 2011). The author further adds that among non-industrialised societies, the use of herbal medicine to heal disease is almost universal. People from countries  in  Latin  America,  Asia,  Africa and  North  America are still  using herbal products to meet up their regular health related necessities. Adesina (2014), in line with Alan (2011) are of the opinion that nearly 75-80 percent of the population in Africa uses traditional medicine to heal diseases and some other forms of ailment like cancer,

HIV/AIDs, infertility, sickle cell, anaemia and so on. Owing to the fact that traditional medicine is relevant, accessible, affordable, culturally acceptable and easy to prepare with little or no side effects, most people prefer it to the exhorbitantly priced health care services. There are herbal remedies for problems like urinary tract infection, pubertal changes, post-menopausal syndrome, hot flushes, menopause, polycystic ovarian syndrome, bacterial vaginosis, yeast infections, infertility, delayed labour, low breast milk production, abortion and other female disorders. Women have handed down information from their mothers to daughters on how herbs can remedy some of the common maladies of life, women, like the moon, change in cycles (Ramasubramania,2015).

Subsequently, the knowledge on traditional health care system which is the panacea and first-front for all forms of health care system in the world gradually diminished as it became difficult to acquire and manage among traditional herbal medical practitioners. Hence,   lack   of   information   accessibility,   knowledge   acquisition,   knowledge management and transfer system among traditional herbal medical practitioners is the major constraints in the realm of traditional herbal medical profession (Okwor et al.,2014).

Information is crucial but never sufficient unless it is adequately acquired and transferred. Information, according to Carstensil (2010), is the data that is accurate and timely, specific and organised for a purpose, presented within a context that gives it meaning and relevance, that can lead to an increase in understanding and decrease in uncertainty. Information is indispensable for effective management and development of traditional herbal medical practice therefore considered as an important operational asset  or  resource.  The  world  is  currently  in  the  era  of  advanced  Information  and Communication. It has become a global village; information, therefore makes what goes on in any part of the world known and accessible to the rest of the world. The relevance of information to the people in any community cannot be underestimated because it keeps  people  aware  of  what  is  going  on  in  the  society.  For  example,  it  helps  an individual to have first-hand knowledge about certain health issues. In the 21st Century, traditional herbal medical practitioners cannot be very effective without information, since such information is handed down from one generation to another. Therefore, information is crucial to ensuring  continuity of traditional herbal medical practice.

Information is concerned with passing of message, ideas, knowledge from one person to another. However, information changes the world we live in and the way we learn to live, cure and protect people‟s life.  therefore  according to Rai,  (2015)  information accessibility changes the face of traditional herbal medical practice through its potential as a source of knowledge acquisition. Information accessibility is a medium to have traditional herbal medical contents and management on transfer system. Thus, information is both a cause of change and a means of achieving change, especially in the realm of traditional herbal medical practice.

Research have shown that knowledge and information on traditional herbal medical practice is usually conveyed from one generation to another through documents, folktales, oral tradition, books or record keeping and brainstorming. Internet, tape recorder,   television   show   and   video   records.   The   importance   of   information accessibility, knowledge acquisition, and management and transfer system among traditional herbal practitioners cannot be overemphasised. Ibegwam (2013) opined that the information need of traditional herbal medical practice has three components: These are: information that is needed for decision- making and that is readily known by the health  professional  and  is  referred  to  as  currently  satisfied  needs;  The  second component is the information that is known to the health professional but that he/she recognises as being applicable to the decision- making process and is referred to consciously recognised needs, The third component is the information that is important to the circumstances at  hand but the health professional does not realise that it is applicable and is referred to as unrecognised needs.

The traditional medical practitioners need information on how to acquire raw materials for preparation of their traditional medicine and on how this knowledge will be transferred to their descendants. However, many of the indigenous traditional herbal medical practitioners in South-West Nigeria are faced with the problem of accessibility and acquisition of relevant knowledge of the traditional herbal medicine which they are to eventually transfer to their children. They need more knowledge on how to transfer the healing skills to succeeding generation. They are the practitioners who deal with the ancient and culture-based health care. They believe in treating series of diseases in traditional ways through the use of various herbs as passed down by their forefathers. This knowledge is transmitted mostly orally by the elders in  the community from generation to generation.

Traditional herbal medical practitioners, according to Lemu, (2013) are the people who look at indigenous knowledge as the construction of reality and wish to lead the way of life and dwell in their environment. However, they lack access to knowledge acquisition and the management of their activities (Lemu, 2013). Aboyade et al.  (2012) noted that factors  which stimulated the acknowledgement  of those involved in  health care of patients have a set of right and responsibilities to be given a clear explanation of any treatment.

Information accessibility is ability to reach   series of recorded information to solve problems. It could be accessed from a book, orally (words of mouth) or electronic resources, folklores, documents, files and through story- telling. Erik, (2011) observed in a study that the way the local television news operates in the media markets is making information accessible and structuring interactive experiences in industry transitions into generations.  Moreover, (Oguntade and Ibegwan 2011) posited that all the information specialists on health are verifying, understanding and meeting the information needs of the health workforce. This is to ensure evidence based health care and ensure professional job satisfaction as part of a broader supportive environment of those values and motives of the health practitioners. Other ways of meeting the information needs of traditional herbal medical practitioners include the provision of training in information utilisation skills to the health care provider, including the retrieval, critical appraisal, synthesis and opportunities for personal and group study in the library to support learning from peers, continuing education and professional development.

Moreover, information  accessibility enriches  traditional  herbal  medical  practitioners because it is through it that more information on traditional medicine, series of herb and diseases they cure are obtainable. More so, access to information on traditional herbal medical  practitioners  will  promote  the  practice,  motivate  the  practitioners  and encourage more people to develop interest in the practice which will in turn lead to recognition of traditional medicine in curing series of disease in the community. The information is accessed through many means which include association meetings, notebooks, files, community leaders, brainstorming, story-telling, tape recorder, television and Information Communication Technology. It is only when information is accessible that knowledge acquisition can be enhanced for the practitioners. Acquisition

is defined as obtaining or getting one‟s own exertions or qualities (New Oxford Dictionary (2010).In this study, acquisition implies the process of obtaining information materials for knowledge.  The Acquisition of knowledge by traditional herbal medical practitioners could be done by male, female, old and young practitioners. Knowledge acquisition to traditional herbal medical practitioners is a method of learning how to acquire traditional practices of the forefathers, so, that the longevity of   the practice would continue and pass to the succeeding generations.

According to McNamara et al. (2006), knowledge acquisition is integrally tied to how the mind organised the fundamental properties of human knowledge, as well as by considering the function of the desired information. The activities in acquisition of knowledge include brainstorming through association meetings, reading and learning from association meetings, record books, checking files of information sources, storytelling, teaching and learning, tape records, television and oralcommunication. However,  indigenous  traditional  knowledge  resources  are  not  like  conventional resources that can easily be obtained because their acquisition is always defined by the practices and structures within the culture that produce them. Often, traditional knowledge is acquired from membership of the culture. Dei, et al. (2012) posited that the precondition usually attached to the acquisition of traditional knowledge is often respect  and  recognition  of  the  value  of  the  practices  in  the  culture.  Traditional knowledge is handed down from one generation to another through symbols, art, oral narratives, story telling, wise sayings, riddles and dances. It has been observed that this pattern operates among traditional herbal medical practitioners.

In accessing information, traditional knowledge sources are mostly not intact and this makes  their  acquisition  by libraries  and  traditional  practitioners  difficult.  They are different from modern sources of information which are readily available. Some local people may hardly give out their knowledge while others may entrust them to a trustee. It is on the basis of this that El-miskin (2007) suggested that the process of acquiring such items should incorporate confidence building measures and ethical conduct that will establish mutual trust. Similarly, the American Library Association (2010) core values recognised librarians as professionals with a social responsibility to provide and promote public access to information. Therefore, they should embrace and respect the diversity of cultures, develop sensitivity and care for the advancement of culture as fundamental of librarianship. This will serve as a reminder of core library values and provide access to materials without sacrificing individual liberty or respect for cultural differences.

These principles may advance the role of librarians as stewards of knowledge and cultural  heritage.  Consensus  on  these  principles  within  the  library community will establish  the  library  voice  advocating  for  reason  and  respect  in  national  and international discussions concerning protection of access to unique creative works of traditional cultural expression. Therefore, if cultural information on traditional medicine is to be acquired by Nigerian libraries and traditional herbal medical practitioners, there is need to accord it the same value. Since the essence of knowledge acquisition is to have positive reflection of the knowledge being acquired and to impact knowledge on generations to come in accordance with need of the  knowledge acquired to be properly managed.

Management is a way of utilising resources at one‟s disposal to meet the needs of the present organisation in order to achieve the intended objectives as expected for positive gains. According to Stephen et al. (2015), management is the process of working with people and  resources  to  accomplish  organisational  goals.  Good managers do  those things that are effective in order to achieve goals with minimum waste of resources, that is, to make the best possible use of money, time, materials and people to achieve a set goal.

Management can be said to be focused on the attainment of end result by means of the allocation and utilization of resources that is human, physical and fiscal by devising appropriate method of acquiring planning, organising, preserving, and guiding in accordance with the society‟s needs. In the assertion of McNamara et al. (2006), traditionally, the term management is described as the functions of planning, organising, leading and controlling (or coordinating) activities in an organisation. The tasks involve assembling   logical units of works, defining their hierarchical structures, identifying staff requirements, assigning tasks and responsibilities, coordinating human, financial, physical, informational, and other resources needed to achieve organisational goals. After information has been accessed, it metamorphosed into knowledge management, the next stage, therefore, is knowledge transfer to the generations for continuity of herbal medical traditional practices.

Successful knowledge management requires attention and engagement. This is why attention is needed for information at all to attain quality knowledge. Knowledge management is based on role playing on the use of knowledge. However, people including   traditional   herbal   medical   practitioners   receive   knowledge   through: interaction with each others, sharing knowledge as it is received from their forefathers and association meetings,. Moreover, it is natural for people to either hide what they know or fail to put their knowledge to effective usage. The acts are better explained in the  words  of  Daneshgar  and  Bosanquet  (2010),  in  the  following  posers:  „if my knowledge is a valuable resource, why should I share it? if my job is to create knowledge, why should I put my job at risk by using yours instead of mine”. Still people share what they know as much as they freely adapt and use the knowledge of others. Management of the acquired knowledge by the traditional herbal medical practitioners will lead to the process of coordinating the total activities of the organisation.

Transfer system is a process of sending messages containing useful information from one practitioner to another. Transfer system in this context involves inculcation of incantation, enchantment, ritual, sacrifice through association meeting and record- keeping. The knowledge on how an individual can be healed is mainly learnt or transferred  from  old  herbalists  to  their offsprings  for  sustenance  and  continuity of traditional herbal medical practice.  Incantation on how certain illnesses can be cured is taught and is one of the major procedures or measures for remediation. Therefore, a better transfer system will improve the knowledge of herbal medical practitioners because series of information is recorded in the audio and visual materials such as computer disk, radio, television cassette. Notably, Madu and Ezeani in Ahmed (2014), stated that application of information technologies in the 1960s for a variety of purpose, gave birth to information revolution. Libraries could not afford to avoid the great touch of these technologies. The ability of the computer to carry out these library functions quickly, accurately and systematically makes it a useful tool for dissemination of information. Their applications in libraries,  have provided timely access to, and transfer of information resources that are found round the globe.

1.2       Statement of the Research Problem

The utilisation of emerging technologies in recent times in libraries worldwide has proved beyond reasonable doubt that a library, whatever its services , can perform better when facilities are adequately provided (Abidoye, 2011). What will enhance access to the content of the library and enable users access and download current information from the Internet; and can search for the same information at the same time using different terminals, which is impossible through the traditional services rendered in libraries. The library system therefore, plays significant role in knowledge transfer for traditional herbal medical practice  in South-West Nigeria.

Access to relevant information, acquisition of adequate knowledge, proper management, and transfer of the knowledge are essential ingredients for the socio-economic development of a group, including traditional herbal medical practitioners. It has been observed that despite the efficacy and potency of herbal medicine, the activities of the traditional herbal medical practitioners are mostly shrouded in secrecy. The knowledge that the traditional herbal medical practitioners access mostly perish with them when they die. This is due to the fact that they do not expose the knowledge to others. On some occasions, the knowledge they have is secretly divulged to their children who might show little or no interest in the traditional herbal medical  practice of their fathers. In other words, there is a kind of restriction in knowledge transfer. Moreover, there is little or no openness in the practices; other people could not pick up their materials and prescribe drugs for people and if they do, such drugs often lose their potency. If the acquired knowledge is well managed information, its transfer will be done without hindrance. Moreover, there are ailments, such as: cancer, fibroid, yellow fever, tuberculosis, infertility, hepatitis B and other ailments which  majority of people in the society do not know if traditional medicine can cure.

All  the aforementioned health challenges may have solution and may be cured through traditional medicine . Dangbin and Davou (2008) observed that there has been a great contention by the people of the society over the roles of traditional herbal medical practitioners. The contention was borne out of the fact that there has been inadequate information on knowledge acquisition, management and transfer system among traditional herbal medical practitioners in Nigeria.

However, previous studies like Fagbola, (2013), Regassa, (2013) and Olatokun, (2008) were on indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants and many of the research were conducted in a region other than South-West Nigeria. To fill the research gap,, there is need to focus on this part of the country to extend existing knowledge. This study, therefore, examines the relationship of information accessibility, knowledge acquisition

, management and transfer system among traditional herbal medical practitioners in South-West Nigeria.

1.3       Aim and Objectives of the Study

Aim

The aim of the study is to examine the relationship of information accessibility, knowledge acquisition, management and transfer system among traditional herbal medical practitioners in South-West, Nigeria.

Specifically, the study is designed to:

1.   determine the channels of information by traditional herbal medical practitioners in South-West Nigeria.

2.   identify  sources   of  knowledge  acquisition  by  traditional  herbal  medical practitioners in South-West Nigeria.

3.   find out how knowledge acquired by the traditional herbal medical practitioners is transferred in South-West Nigeria.

4.   ascertain  the  management  strategies  adopted  by  traditional  herbal  medical practitioners in South-West Nigeria.

5. identify the relationships between information accessibility and knowledge acquisition on the traditional herbal medical practices in South-West Nigeria.

6. find out the relationships between methods of knowledge acquisition and knowledge transfers system on traditional herbal medical practices in South- West Nigeria.

7.   determine the knowledge management as correlate of knowledge transfer system among the traditional herbal medical practitioners in South-West Nigeria.

8.   ascertain  the  relationship  between  knowledge  acquisition  and  knowledge transfer system among male and female traditional herbal medical practitioners in South-West Nigeria.

9.   determine the relationships between information accessibility and knowledge transfer  system  among  young  and  aged  traditional  medical  practitioners  in South-West Nigeria.

1.4       Research Questions

The following questions guided the study:

1.   How do traditional herbal medical practitioners access herbal information in

South-West Nigeria?

2.   What are the sources of knowledge acquisition by traditional herbal medical practitioners in South-West Nigeria?

3.   How  is  the  knowledge  acquired  by traditional  herbal  medical  practitioners transferred in the South-West, Nigeria.

4.   What are the strategies adopted by traditional herbal medical practitioners for managing the acquired knowledge in South-West Nigeria?

5.   What  is  the  relationship  between  information  accessibility  and  knowledge transfer on traditional herbal medical practices by traditional herbal medical practitioners  in South-West Nigeria?

6.   What  is  the  relationship  between  method  of  knowledge  acquisition  and knowledge transfer system on traditional herbal medical practices in South- West Nigeria?

7.   How does knowledge management correlate with knowledge transfer system among the traditional herbal medical practitioners in South-West Nigeria?

8.   What is the relationship between knowledge acquisition and knowledge transfer system  among  male  and  female  traditional  herbal  medical  practitioners  in South-West Nigeria?

9.   What  is  the  relationship  between  information  accessibility  and  knowledge transfer system among young and aged traditional herbal medical practitioners in South-West Nigeria?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were tested in the study at 0.05 level of significance..

H01:   There is no significant relationship between information accessibility and knowledge transfer system among the traditional medical practitioners in South- West Nigeria.

H02:  There is no significant relationship between knowledge acquisition and knowledge transfer system among the traditional herbal medical practitioners in South-West Nigeria.

H03:   There is no significant relationship between knowledge management and Knowledge transfer system among the traditional herbal medical practitioners in South-West Nigeria.

H04: There is no significant relationship between knowledge acquisition and Knowledge transfer system among male and female traditional herbal medical practitioners in South-West Nigeria.

H05: There is no significant relationship between information accessibility and knowledge transfer system among young and aged traditional medical practitioners in South-West Nigeria.

1.6       Justification for the Study

This study on the relationship of information accessibility, knowledge acquisition, management  and  transfer  system  among  traditional  herbal  medical  practitioners  in South-West Nigeria can be justified in the following ways:

1.         this study will help to give an insight on the importance of herbal medical practice with respect to their inevitable contributions to the life of people in the community, thus, will give more recognition to the traditional herbal medical practitioners..

2.         findings from the study will assist the traditional herbal medical practitioners in preventing and  curing    some  sicknesses,  which  demand indigenous  medical health care. There will be a sustainable emphasis by the government to have local authority or even an organisation in the state to cater for the needs of traditional herbal medical practitioners in South-West Nigeria. This will be of great advantage to the people of the affected states.

3.         government will recognise the efforts of traditional herbal medical practitioners and   incorporate   them   into   the   plan   and   implementation   of   the   health programmes of the studied states in Nigeria.

4.         furthermore, it  will  enable the people  to  be  aware  of the sicknesses  which orthodox medical practitioners cannot handle.

5.         it will enable the government to intervene in  deforestation  control so as to reduce depletion of medicinal plants.

6.         the  study  will  assist  traditional  herbal  medical  practitioners  in  preservation through mode of transmission to enable them transmit knowledge to their apprentices as well as their children.

7.         It will also enable government to use traditional herbal medical practitioners in primary  health  care  of  rural  areas  since  they  depend  partly  on  traditional medicine

8.         It will encourage the librarians to store and make available to the traditional herbal medical practitioners, information that they require in the practice of their health care services.

9.         It will serve as a source of reference to future researchers.

1.7       Scope of the Study

The study covers the relationship of information accessibility, knowledge acquisition, management  and  transfer  system  among  traditional  herbal  medical  practitioners  in South-West Nigeria. The study comprised all the six states in South-West geo-political zone with population of 4,408 traditional herbal medical practitioners in this zone while target population  restricted to all traditional herbal medical practitioners (539) in the three randomly selected states: Ekiti, Osun and Oyo States in South-West geo political zone.

1.8       Operational Definition of Terms

The following terms are hereby defined   in the context of the study:

Information Accessibility:   This refers to the way of getting available information resources in both print and non print formats through personal experience, teaching and

learning;  books,  association  meetings,  storytelling  and  others  on  various  herbal medicine and the diseases they can cure.

Knowledge Acquisition:  Knowledge acquisition in this study means knowledge that can be obtained by traditional herbal medical practitioners from available information resources.

Knowledge  Management:  Refers  to  the  way  in  which  knowledge  is  captured, preserved and channeled by traditional herbal medical practitioners for effective utilisation in the present and future.

Knowledge Transfer System:   This refers to all activities that generate utilisation, application or exploitation of knowledge and its movement from one individual   to another.

Traditional Herbal Medical Practitioners:  These are traditional healers who provide health care services with local herbs according to customs and beliefs of the community where they reside.

Traditional Knowledge: This refers to the local knowledge unique to a given culture or society.   In this study, it would refer to local knowledge that is unique to traditional herbal medical practitioners in South-West Nigeria.

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