Land degradation assessment by small scale traditional African farmers and implications for sustainable conservation management
Chokor, B.A.; Odemerho, F.O.
Geoforum 25(2): 145-154
1994
ISSN/ISBN: 0016-7185 DOI: 10.1016/0016-7185(94)90012-4Document Number: 662689
It is argued in this paper that successful adoption of sustainable agriculture in tropical Africa will depend on the implementation of well articulated sustainable conservation policies to deal with land degradation. Such policies need to recognize and utilize traditional systems of land evaluation and management in the development of appropriate coping mechanisms or adaptive strategies. This is illustrated through a case study of 108 farmers from Nsit in south eastern Nigeria. This approach incorporated the exploration of the stock of indigenous knowledge and information about land degradation assessment and management held by small-scale traditional farming communities. The results show that farmers in Nsit have an adequate grasp of the physical conditions of their surrounding world and are able to ascertain the major stages of land degradation in their community. The implications for the evolution of sustainable conservation management in Africa are articulated.
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