Contribution of the indigenous agricultural knowledge for local economic development in the Limpopo province: A case of indigenous liquified manure

Abstract

Small-scale farmers in South Africa, particularly in Indigenous communities, continue to heavily rely on artificial farming, overlooking Indigenous agricultural knowledge. The key influence behind this is that the artificial farming practices have become more accessible than the Indigenous agricultural knowledge. This paper is aimed at understanding the economic viability of the Indigenous liquified manure for small-scale farmers while promoting the sustainable Indigenous agriculture within Indigenous communities. The paper is centred on addressing poor agricultural practice of the Indigenous liquified manure in establishing indigenous agriculture knowledge culture in rural communities in Vuwani. A sample of 18 participants consisting of 13 small-scale indigenous farmers, 3 traditional leaders, and 2 agricultural experts were drawn using purposive sampling from Vuwani rural communities. The qualitative semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were employed for data collection and analysed using thematic analysis. The study unveiled that the Indigenous liquified manure contributes to the high produce of the indigenous crops that enables the Indigenous communities to economically sustain themselves. The findings further show that the practice of the Indigenous liquified manure is understood as an entrepreneurial opportunity to create job opportunities in the Vuwani.

Keywords: {'name': 'Small-scale farmers'}, {'name': 'artificial farming'}, {'name': 'Indigenous agricultural knowledge'}, {'name': 'Liquified manure'}, {'name': 'Economic viability'}

Authors & affiliations

Thizwilondi Madima
University of Venda

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