Authors: N.O. ADEDIPE, P.A. OKUNEYE and I.A. AYINDE
Abstract
This paper presents the results of a pilot study on agricultural practices in Nigeria, commissioned by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The aim of the study was to compare indigenous knowledge (IK) about farming practices vis-à-vis modern technology in sustainable crop production.The agricultural sector plays an important role in Nigeria’s economy, contributing 37 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employing 65% of the adult labour force. Over90% of Nigeria’s agricultural output is by small-scale (less than 5 ha) resource-poor farmers who have, for centuries, sustained the national food supply through a considerable wealth of IK about how to harness both natural and socio-economic factors of production. The study found that despite the introduction of agro-chemicals, many farmers continued to rely on indigenous farm practices, either on their own or in combination with modern technologies.
The study concludes that small-scale, resource-poor farmers have good reasons for sticking to their local knowledge and farming practices attendant thereto, and that modern technologies can only be successful and sustainable if the interplay of local knowledge of cultural, social and ecological systems are taken into consideration. In so stating, it is suggested that, given the pervasive scenario of rapid population growth (2-3% per annum) and the attendant domestic food demand deficits, there is the emergent need to balance the sustaining IK of the production system with modern technology, through a systematic hybridization strategy.