THE RELEVANCE OF LOCAL AND INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE FOR NIGERIAN AGRICULTURE

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THE RELEVANCE OF LOCAL AND INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE
FOR NIGERIAN AGRICULTURE

• N.O. ADEDIPE
• DEPARTMENT OF CROP PROTECTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL
  BIOLOGY
• UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN, IBADAN, NIGERIA.
• P.A. OKUNEYE I.A. AYINDE
• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS AND FARM
  MANAGEMENT
• UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE,
• ABEOKUTA, NIGERIA.

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• PRESENTED AT THE
• INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
• BRIDGING SCALES EPISTEMOLOGIES
• LINKING LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
• WITH GLOBAL SCIENCE IN MULTI-SCALE ASSESSMENTS,
• ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT
• MARCH 16-19, 2004.

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• THE NIGERIAN AGRICULTURE BELONGS TO LOW-RESOURCE
  OR RESOURCE-POOR CATEGORY CHARACTERIZED BY SMALL
  FARM UNITS, FRAGILE SOILS, RAIN DEPENDENCY AND
  MINIMUM INPUTS.

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• DESPITE THE DOMINANCE OF MINERAL OIL EXPLORATION
  AND EXPLOITATION AS THE CURRENT MAINSTAY OF THE
  NIGERIAN ECONOMY IN TERMS OF FOREIGN EXCHANGE
  EARNINGS, THE AGRIC-ULTURAL SECTOR REMAINS THE
  LARGEST, CONTRIBUTING 37 OF THE GDP AND
  EMPLOYING 65 OF THE ADULT LABOUR FORCE.

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• IN ADDITION TO ITS PIVOTAL ROLE
• IN MEETING THE FOOD AND FIBRE NEEDS OF A LARGE
  AND GROWING POPULATION OF 120 MILLION (2-3
  GROWTH RATE), IT PROVIDES THE RAW MATERIALS FOR
  THE AGRO-INDUSTRIAL SECTOR AND IS THE LARGEST
  CONTRIBUTOR (88) TO NON-OIL FOREIGN EXCHANGE
  EARNINGS.

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• SIGNIFICANTLY, OVER 90 OF NIGERIAS
  AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT IS BY SMALL SCALE (lt5HA),
  RESOURCE-POOR FARMERS WHO HAVE, FOR AGES,
  SUSTAINED THE NATIONAL FOOD SUPPLY.

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• OVER TIME, THESE FARMERS HAVE ACQUIRED
  CONSIDERABLE WEALTH OF ENVIRONMENT-RELATED IK IN
  THE HARNESSING OF NATURAL, AND IN THE
  MANIPULATION OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC, FACTORS OF
  PRODUCTION.

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• SUCH KNOWLEDGE IN THESE EPISTEMIC COMMUNITIES
  ARE EVIDENTLY RELATED TO THE GLOBAL SCIENCE
  TRAITS OF CONSERVATION BIODIVERSITY MAINTENANCE
  PLANT PHYSIOLOGICAL, PLANT PATHOLOGICAL AND
  ENTOMOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF CROP PROTECTION AND
  PEST MANAGEMENT.

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• AGAINST LOW AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT AND PRODUCTIVITY
  IN DEVELOPING NATIONS (INCLUDING NIGERIA), AND
  DESPITE THE SEEMINGLY ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE
  RESOURCE-POOR FARMING, THERE IS THE NEED FOR
  MODERNIZATION BUT THIS MUST BE ACHIEVED THROUGH
  GLOBAL SCIENCE INTERVENTION.

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• HOWEVER, SUCH INTERVENTION MUST RECOGNIZE THE
  RICH IK RESOURCE BASE OF LOW PRODUCTIVITY
  AGRICULTURE.
• IT IS AGAINST THIS BACKGROUND THAT,
• IN THE LAST TWENTY YEARS OR THERE-ABOUT, SOME
  RECOGNITION HAS BEEN ACCORDED CERTAIN ASPECTS OF
  IK, REFLECTED IN AGRO-FORESTRY,
• FARMING SYSTEMS, MIXED CROPPING, ALLEY FARMING,
  ETC.

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• THERE IS MUCH MORE TO BE LEARNED, HENCE WE NEED
  TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE PROFILE OF IK IN THESE
  COUNTRIES.
• THE BIG QUESTIONS ARE
• WHAT DO THEY BELIEVE?
• WHY DO THEY BELIEVE SO?
• WHAT IS THEIR ATTITUDE TO CHANGE?
• HOW DO INTRODUCED CHANGES RELATE TO THEIR
  SOCIO-CULTURAL VALUES WHICH THEY, NATURALLY, TEND
  TO PROTECT?
• SHOULD THE INTRODUCED CHANGES BE BY INTEGRATION
  OR BY COORDINATION?

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• TO ANSWER SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS, UNEP
  COMMISSIONED
• A STUDY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE,
  ABEOKUTA, NIGERIA.
• THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO COMPARE IK ABOUT
  FARMING PRACTICES VIS-À-VIS MODERN TECHNOLOGY IN
  SUSTAINABLE
• CROP PRODUCTION.

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• IN THIS REGARD, THE CRUCIAL QUESTIONS ARE
• HOW FAR DO SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS DOMINATE THE
  FARMERS COLLECTIVE THOUGHTS AND WAYS OF LIFE?
• WHAT HAS BEEN THE TREND AMONG NIGERIAN FARMERS
  WHO RELY ON IK WITH MINIMUM INEVITABLE USE OF
  EXTERNAL INPUTS VISA-VIS THOSE WHO USE FAIRLY
  LARGE QUANTITIES OF EXTERNAL INPUTS (FERTILIZERS,
  FUNGICIDES, INSECTICIDES AND HERBICIDES)?

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THIS IS AGAINST THE BACKGROUND THAT THE USE OF
AGRO-CHEMICALS IS VERY LOW.
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THE STUDY ADOPTED THE RAPID RURAL APPRAISAL
METHOD, USING QUESTIONNAIRES IN A HOUSEHOLD
SURVEY FORMAT, USING 100 FARMERS IN THE 2
LOCATIONS IN OGUN STATE OF NIGERIA
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• THIS WAS COMPLEMENTED WITH FOCUS GROUP
  DISCUSSIONS WITH RESPONDENTS AND KEY INFORMANTS
  BY WAYS OF COMMUNITY LEADERS AND CBOs.
• THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS ARE THAT 88 OF
  THE FARMERS PRACTICED MIXED CROPPING WITH A
  DIVERSE NUMBER OF CROP COMBINATIONS.

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Fig. 1. Stubble mulching on a vegetable farm in
Ogun State, South-Western Nigeria.
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Fig. 2. Intercropping of cereal with a legume in
a local farm of Ogun State, South-Western Nigeria
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Fig. 3. Intercropping of a broad-leaf vegetable
with short duration narrow-leaf vegetable
experiment in Ogun State, South-Western Nigeria.
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Fig. 4. Alley cropping of a tree crop with an
arable crop in Ogun State, South-Western Nigeria.
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OTHER MAJOR FINDINGS

• MIXED CROPPING LED TO 26 RISE IN TOTAL CROP
  OUTPUT
• 32 RISE IN PROFIT FOR THE COWPEA FARMERS
• THERE WERE ECONOMIES IN LABOUR AND PESTICIDE USE
• MINIMIZATION OF CROP LOSS AS COMPARED WITH SOLE
  CROPPING

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• THE INTRODUCTION OF AGRO-CHEMICALS SWAYED THE
  FARMERS TO ADOPTION, GIVEN THE DRAMATIC EFFECTS
  OBSERVED
• THE PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE USE OF
  AGRO-CHEMICALS FOR CROP PROTECTION, SUCH AS HIGH
  COST AND ADULTERATION, HEALTH HAZARDS, HIGH UNIT
  COST RELATIVE TO POVERTY LEVEL AMONG THE FARMERS,
  CAUSED REVERSION TO THE USE OF INDIGENOUS
  TECHNOLOGIES IN ARABLE CROP PRODUCTION,
  PARTICULARLY WITH COWPEAS (VIGNA UNGUICULATA)
• AS CASE CROP.

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• WHILE 47 OF THE FARMERS USED INDIGENOUS
  KNOWLEDGE EXCLUSIVELY, 30 COMBINED IT WITH THE
  MODERN TECHNOLOGY OF CROP PROTECTION, WHILE 23
  USED ONLY AGRO-CHEMICALS.
• THE PERCENTAGE OF FARMERS THAT ADOPTED INDIGENOUS
  CROPPING PRACTICES RELAY INTERCROPPING, 86
  MULTIPLE CROPPING, 64 CROP ROTATION, 75 BUSH
  FALLOW, 100.
• IN TERMS OF FIELD CROP PROTECTION, 25 OF FARMERS
  SPRAYED PLANTS WITH CHILLI PEPPER CAPSICUM ANNUM,
  WHILE 50 USED NEEM (AZADIRACHTA INDICA) EXTRACTS.

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• FOR COWPEA STORAGE INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE, 95 OF
  THE FARMERS SAMPLED STORED THE SEEDS BY MIXING
  WITH DRIED CHILLI (CAPSICUM FRUTESCENS), USUALLY
  IN THE RATIO OF 40 KG COWPEA TO 0.5-1.0 KG DRIED
  CHILLI. NEEM ASH AND CROP RESIDUE ASH WERE ALSO
  IN FREQUENT USE (35-50 OF THE FARMERS).
• SIMILAR RESULTS WERE GENERALLY OBTAINED FOR COCOA
  PRODUCTION.

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LINKING LOCAL KNOWLEDGE WITH GLOBAL SCIENCE A
CONCEPTUAL MODEL FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.

• BASICALLY, THE MILLENNIUM ECOSYSTEM ASSESSMENT
  (MA) IS AIMED AT THE MANAGEMENT OF ECOSYSTEMS
  THROUGH THE ADOPTION OF VIABLE POLICY OPTIONS FOR
  DECISION-MAKING TOWARDS THE IMPROVEMENT AND
  SUSTENANCE OF HUMAN WELL-BEING.

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• DESPITE THE UNQUESTIONABLE BENEFITS, IK CANNOT,
  ON ITS OWN MEET CURRENT AND FUTURE DEMANDS OF
  CROP PRODUCTION.
• THE QUESTION IS HOW CAN THE BENEFITS OF GLOBAL
  SCIENCE AND MODERN TECHNOLOGY RUB ON IK IN ORDER
  TO ACHIEVE THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF THE MA?

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IT IS HERE BEING PROPOSED THAT THERE IS NEED FOR
A SYSTEMATIC HYBRIDIZATION STRATEGY, THE PROCESS
OF WHICH IS BRIEFLY DESCRIBED BELOW.
Integration Mechanism
A

• ECOSYSTEM
• FRAME
• Services
• Drivers
• Policy
• Options
• Decision-
• making

Long-Term
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• BY THIS SUGGESTED APPROACH, HUMAN WELL-BEING,
  ALONG THE LINES OF THE MILLENNIUM GOALS, CAN BE
  GUARANTEED AND SUSTAINED FOR A STABLE AND SECURE
  WORLD INBUED WITH FOOD SECURITY, GOVERNED BY
  ACCESSIBILITY, DESIRABLE NUTRITIONAL QUALITY
  HEALTHY LIVING, GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT AND POVERTY
  REDUCTION.

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• PLEASE REMEMBER THAT, ACCORDING TO CHAMBERS ET AL
  (1989), AND AS OF THE 1980s, RESOURCE-POOR
  FARMING AFFECTED 1.4 BILLION PEOPLES OF ASIA,
  LATIN AMERICA AND SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA!
• THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION