Women's Use of Indigenous Knowledge for Environmental Security and Sustainable Development in Southwest Nigeria

Abstract

Indigenous women are important part of a community's social capital. This study examined women's use of Indigenous knowledge (IK) for environmental security and sustainable development in southwest Nigeria. Qualitative data was collected using in-depth interviews conducted among 80 purposively selected rural Yoruba women. The data were analysed using descriptive tools such as frequencies, percentages, and content analysis. The findings reveal an extensive wealth of IK used in agriculture, food processing and preservation, family health care, and child care. The findings also suggest that paying attention to IK will help to incorporate culture as part of rural development and sustainable development in Nigeria, leading to more successful outcomes using place-based knowledge. Indigenous women can, and should, contribute to the design and implementation of sustainable development initiatives because of their extensive IK.

Ọsẹ Dúdú: Exploring the Benefits of Yoruba Indigenous Black Soap in Southwest, Nigeria

“…To a large extent, Indigenous Peoples also have collective rights recognized by international law, which include the right to retain their own languages and other cultural foundations such as their traditional forms of livelihood via biocultural rights 1 arrangements (Bavikatte & Bennett, 2015). The ability of the Indigenous people to identify and utilize context-based solutions has, thus, led many authors, national policymakers, and foreign development donors to either direct their attention to or renew their interest in the potentiality of Indigenous livelihoods in propagating development (Dube & Musi, 2002;Olutayo & Akanle, 2009), especially for a sustainable one (Aluko, 2018;Olutayo et al, 2017;Rist et al, 2011).…”

“…This is because the solutions offered by foreign knowledge frameworks do not fit well into local knowledge systems, lack autonomy, and are inappropriately incorporated into development plans (Akanle et al, 2017). Several authors and experts have stressed that societal growth and development will be achieved if, and only if, the development plans of less-developed nations acknowledge the prevailing Indigenous knowledge systems in these societies (Aluko, 2018;Breidlid, 2009;Briggs, 2005;Hoppers, 2002;Kothari, 2007;Magni, 2016;Olutayo et al, 2017;Sillitoe, 2006;Rist et al, 2011;Tharakan, 2015).…”

Sago and the indigenous peoples of Papua, Indonesia: A review

“…In the literature, many studies suggest that women use indigenous knowledge to a greater extent than men in achieving household food security (Kuhnlein, 2017;Lemke & Delormier, 2017;Aluko, 2018). However, despite their significant contributions to household food security, indigenous women in many countries face discrimination regarding their gender and ethnicity (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2015).…”

Rural Farmers’ Attitude to Indigenous Knowledge Sharing for Selected Livelihood Activities in South-South Nigeria

“…For centuries, a lot of farmers in local communities have used their indigenous knowledge in areas such as ecosystem and landscape management, soil conservation, biological control of pests and diseases, ecological agriculture and livestock practices, and plant and animal breeding in enhancing food and livelihood security (Aluko, 2018). Similarly, Ugboma (2014) notes that indigenous knowledge has contributed in many areas of rural life, notably in the areas of provision of good health care, food production, food processing and preservation, empowerment and resources management, poverty reduction and economic growth.…”