• Additionally, it was further indicated that crops produced using traditional
methods have a longer shelf life. Adoption of traditional practices enables the
farmers to produce multiple products from one crop: e.g., at the peanut farm, the
peanut plant leaves and peanut shells are used as animal feed, while the actual
peanut-seed is used for producing peanut butter and peanut snacks. Further, the
farmers’ engaged in piggery farming expressed that traditional farming allows the
animal to breed at a natural pace rather than fast-tracking the process with
technological practices that are used in commercial farming for profit purposes.
9.6
Best Practices of IKS, Sustainable Agriculture, and Food
Security
“Best practices are defined as a procedure that has been shown by research and
experience to produce an optimal result”. A best practice is based on the actions,
experiences, and lessons that the participants have gathered over the years in their
fields of practice. These practices have become a norm to the participants and are
perceived to be trusted methods that the participants have experimented on with trial
and error to achieve results that have become beneficial to the participants and
proved to yield positive results. These identified best practices are presented in a
list format with descriptions as provided by all the participants in the study.
1. It was observed that farmers’do not need huge farming spaces when utilising
IKS practices and also were encouraged to start a functional food garden to grow
vegetables in its natural format.
2. The poultry farmers, for example, used alternative heat-generating processes
(homemade solar platforms). The poultry farmers will cover the chicken house
with plastic and cotton material during the day which retains heat from the sun.
During the rainy season and in winter when there is limited sunshine, the
farmers use lanterns made from mayonnaise bottles, a string and paraffin to
warm the area. The bottles are placed strategically in the chicken house to ensure
that they do not fall down. These methods reduced the reliability of participants
on electricity as the supply of electricity is not always guaranteed in these
locations.
3. An innovative method to ensure a sterile environment in the poultry farms was
the building of a mini-dam at the entrance of the chicken house and fill it with
water and sterilising agents. This is done to ensure that there is minimal or no
infestation of the pullets (young chickens).
4. The crop farmers produced their own pesticides for pest management on the
farms. In some instances, the plants are grown in the farm on different patches of
land and are not sold as part of the produce. The plants grown for this purpose
are garlic, chillies, and tomato. The farmers create a mixture of the garlic,
chillies, vinegar, and tomatoes—the latter because of its acidity, either cooked
(if needed urgently) or soaked in water for a period of three days to allow the
mixture to ferment and have a much more potent effect. The planting of mint in
200
J. Seko et al.
methods have a longer shelf life. Adoption of traditional practices enables the
farmers to produce multiple products from one crop: e.g., at the peanut farm, the
peanut plant leaves and peanut shells are used as animal feed, while the actual
peanut-seed is used for producing peanut butter and peanut snacks. Further, the
farmers’ engaged in piggery farming expressed that traditional farming allows the
animal to breed at a natural pace rather than fast-tracking the process with
technological practices that are used in commercial farming for profit purposes.
9.6
Best Practices of IKS, Sustainable Agriculture, and Food
Security
“Best practices are defined as a procedure that has been shown by research and
experience to produce an optimal result”. A best practice is based on the actions,
experiences, and lessons that the participants have gathered over the years in their
fields of practice. These practices have become a norm to the participants and are
perceived to be trusted methods that the participants have experimented on with trial
and error to achieve results that have become beneficial to the participants and
proved to yield positive results. These identified best practices are presented in a
list format with descriptions as provided by all the participants in the study.
1. It was observed that farmers’do not need huge farming spaces when utilising
IKS practices and also were encouraged to start a functional food garden to grow
vegetables in its natural format.
2. The poultry farmers, for example, used alternative heat-generating processes
(homemade solar platforms). The poultry farmers will cover the chicken house
with plastic and cotton material during the day which retains heat from the sun.
During the rainy season and in winter when there is limited sunshine, the
farmers use lanterns made from mayonnaise bottles, a string and paraffin to
warm the area. The bottles are placed strategically in the chicken house to ensure
that they do not fall down. These methods reduced the reliability of participants
on electricity as the supply of electricity is not always guaranteed in these
locations.
3. An innovative method to ensure a sterile environment in the poultry farms was
the building of a mini-dam at the entrance of the chicken house and fill it with
water and sterilising agents. This is done to ensure that there is minimal or no
infestation of the pullets (young chickens).
4. The crop farmers produced their own pesticides for pest management on the
farms. In some instances, the plants are grown in the farm on different patches of
land and are not sold as part of the produce. The plants grown for this purpose
are garlic, chillies, and tomato. The farmers create a mixture of the garlic,
chillies, vinegar, and tomatoes—the latter because of its acidity, either cooked
(if needed urgently) or soaked in water for a period of three days to allow the
mixture to ferment and have a much more potent effect. The planting of mint in
200
J. Seko et al.