Assessment of Indigenous Knowledge Strategies on Post Harvest Food Crops Storage in Belo Sub Division

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume III, Issue IX, September 2019 | ISSN 2454–6186

Assessment of Indigenous Knowledge Strategies on Post Harvest Food Crops Storage in Belo Sub Division

Kelvin Toh Nkwain¹, Norbert Tohnain Lengha², Augustine Toh Gam^3*
1Department of sociology, Centre for Food Technology and Research (CEFTER), Faculty of Social Sciences, Benue State University, Makurdi, Nigeria
²Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology, Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences, University of Dschang, Cameroon
³Department of Geography & Planning, Faculty of Arts, University of Bamenda, Cameroon
*Corresponding author

Abstract: Much food crops are cultivated in rural areas but farmers still suffer from food shortages due to increasing post-harvest losses. This is as a result of insufficient and or absent of conventional food processing, preservation and storage facilities. This has led to increasing and alternatively use of indigenous knowledge (IK) strategies for food crop preservation and storage. However, this research meant to enumerates the different food crops varieties and the distinct IKs strategies applied on post-harvest food crops, difficulties and the way forward. The study sampled nine out of the nineteen villages that make up Belo Sub Division. A three-stage sampling techniques were employed: purposive sampling in other to select the study villages and random and snowball sampling methods to equally arrive at the sample size of 150 and also ensure that respondents with exemplified IKs characteristics were identified and included in the study. Questionnaires, focus groups, interviews, and field observations were employed for data collection and the data was further analysed using Excel to transform it into tables and photos were equally taken to portrays the field reality. The results shows that a total of twenty-four different types of IKs in food storage were identified, ten to prevent weevils, five in preventing mould and rotting, four in maintaining freshness and five to prevent rodents, with the main preservation and storage facility being ikaɳ. Despite the available IKs, farmers still suffer enormous losses of food crops ranging from 20 to 43% due to limited space, limited storage facilities and above all limited fuel wood. We therefore recommend the integration of IKs with scientific knowledge of post harvest management and training, and provision of integrated post-harvest management facilities in the study area.

Keywords: IKs strategies, Food crops, Food storage, Belo Subdivision

I. INTRODUCTION

Africa is faced with dire food security challenge despite the fact that she remains the continent with greater arable land to feed it growing population and beyond, yet the continent remain the most impoverished in food security [1].

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