Refined indigenous knowledge as sources of low input agricultural technologies in sub-Saharan Africa rural communities

  • 01/10/2008

  • International Journal of Rural Studies

The majority of farmers in sub-Saharan Africa are small scale entrepreneurs whose farm operations are performed with low input agricultural technologies. Many of these technologies are supported with low input farm power and simple machines. Essentially, low input agricultural technologies are embodied in the refined indigenous knowledge systems. These include technologies for land preparation, use of drought animals, natural/organic substitutes for inorganic pesticides and fertilizers, seeds multiplication techniques, mushroom production technique, alternative to electrical incubation technologies, animal protein supplements including silage and hay production technologies, wind mills, simple irrigation and drainage methods, low input processing as well as simple tools technologies. This paper illustrates the above listed low input technologies for sub-Saharan Africa rural agrarian communities using experiences from Nigeria.