Indigenous Approach to the Control of Soil Erosion among Small Scale Farmers in Asa L.G.A., Kwara State, Nigeria.

Abstract

Using Asa L.G.A. as a case study, the article focuses on the understanding of the indigenous methods of controlling soil erosion in Kwara State. Participant observation, an anthropological method of data collection was employed among sixty respondents who were randomly selected from the set of aged farmers in the study area. Six different effective control measures were identified including ‘Ebe ati Pooro', ‘Idian', ‘Agbin-Taala',
‘Agbin-la', ‘Agbin-Po' and one that can be likened to ‘fallowing'. It was however observed that whereas farmers have more often than not practiced these control measures for intensions that are primarily different from controlling erosion, their practices coincidentally assist in averting soil erosion to considerable degree. The paper therefore draws attention to the fact that more respective attention to local knowledge and practices are
necessary basis for effective and appropriate environmental policies, particularly in developing countries.

Keywords: Indigenous knowledge, Soil erosion, Asa, Kwara

Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies and Management Vol. 1 (1) 2008: pp. 1-6