10th U6+ Consortium of African Universities International Conference

The study examined the integration of agricultural indigenous knowledge to sustainable transition with focus on pathways for modern development in Nigeria. Agricultural production is the backbone of any productive economy. Due to the rise in population in developing countries like Nigeria there is need to advocate for sustainable transition systems in the area of agricultural farming practices to enhance future development in the region. Qualitative approach was adopted to examine the case studies from various location in Nigeria. The study identified significance of agricultural indigenous knowledge in promoting productivity, climate resilience, and resource use efficiency among smallholder farmers. The study further highlighted the constraints to integration of these indigenous practices which includes poor assessment of the local knowledge, inadequate access to modern agricultural knowledge, and poor support from the existing institution on agriculture in the region. The agricultural indigenous knowledge is associated to rural regions with potentials to improve sustainable farming transitions due to pressure on the land for cultivation within the region. Most of the smallholder farmers are used to local practices which are limited for certain period of time, these practice often includes soil fertility practices, crop rotation, water management, pest and diseases control which can serve as solution to current challenges in modern agricultural production systems in Nigeria. This study focused on the integration of these indigenous agricultural practices by smallholder farmers in the region coupled with novel agricultural techniques to promote a sustainable system in the future. The study concludes that adoption of agricultural indigenous knowledge will help promote effective modern farming development among smallholder farmers and also will lead to sustainable transitions to the agricultural production systems in Nigeria. The study recommends that there should be advocacy for indigenous agricultural practices to harness the full potential of modern farming, thus leading to long term changes for the sector.