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Assessment of Indigenous Agricultural Knowledge among Rural Youth Farmers

Abstract

Indigenous agricultural knowledge refers to the traditional knowledge, skills, practices, and experiences developed and transmitted within farming communities over generations. Such knowledge covers areas such as crop production, soil management, seed selection, pest management, livestock production, weather observation, food processing, and natural resource management. Among rural youth farmers, indigenous agricultural knowledge can provide practical information that supports farm decision-making and complements modern agricultural practices. This study will assess indigenous agricultural knowledge among rural youth farmers. It will determine the level of knowledge possessed by rural youth farmers regarding indigenous agricultural practices and examine the extent to which such knowledge is applied in their farming activities. The study will also identify the major sources through which rural youth farmers acquire and learn indigenous agricultural knowledge. The study will focus on indigenous knowledge relating to soil fertility management, seed selection and preservation, traditional pest management, weather prediction, crop production, livestock management, water conservation, farm storage, food processing, and natural resource management. It will also examine the roles of parents, older farmers, community leaders, farmer groups, extension agents, and other community-based sources in the transmission of indigenous agricultural knowledge to rural youth farmers. A quantitative research approach will be adopted for the study. Data will be collected from rural youth farmers using structured questionnaires designed to measure their knowledge and application of selected indigenous agricultural practices. Descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, percentages, means, and standard deviations will be used to summarize the data, while knowledge indices, correlation analysis, and regression analysis will be used to examine the relationship between selected socio-economic and information-related factors and the level of indigenous agricultural knowledge among rural youth farmers. The study is expected to reveal varying levels of indigenous agricultural knowledge among rural youth farmers. Youth farmers who have regular interaction with experienced farmers, family members, community groups, and agricultural information sources may demonstrate greater knowledge of indigenous practices. However, generational changes, limited interaction with older farmers, declining interest in traditional practices, migration, limited documentation, and increased dependence on modern agricultural information may contribute to gaps in the transmission of indigenous agricultural knowledge. The study will be useful to rural youth farmers, agricultural extension agents, traditional farming communities, agricultural researchers, government agencies, non-governmental organisations, and policymakers. It may provide useful information on the indigenous agricultural practices that remain relevant among rural youth and identify areas where traditional knowledge is being lost. The findings may also support extension programmes that appropriately integrate useful indigenous knowledge with modern agricultural technologies. The study concludes that indigenous agricultural knowledge remains an important source of practical farming information among rural youth farmers and can contribute to sustainable agricultural development when relevant practices are properly identified and documented. It is therefore recommended that agricultural extension agencies encourage intergenerational knowledge-sharing activities, farmer field discussions, community demonstrations, documentation of useful indigenous practices, and appropriate integration of indigenous knowledge into agricultural extension programmes.

Keywords: Indigenous agricultural knowledge, rural youth farmers, traditional farming practices, indigenous knowledge systems, agricultural extension, youth in agriculture, traditional agriculture, farmer knowledge, knowledge transmission, rural farming, indigenous practices, sustainable agriculture, traditional crop production, agricultural development, farmer training.