Agricultural and Biological Sciences Journal
Articles Information
Agricultural and Biological Sciences Journal, Vol.6, No.2, Jun. 2020, Pub. Date: Mar. 18, 2020
The Role of Indigenous Knowledge Systems on Soil and Water Conservation in Musanze and Nyabihu Districts, North-Western of Rwanda
Pages: 72-79 Views: 1216 Downloads: 966
Authors
[01] Elias Nelly Bapfakurera, Department of Soil Sciences, School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Rwanda-College of Agriculture Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Northern Province, Musanze City, Rwanda.
[02] Jean Nduwamungu, Department of Soil Sciences, School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Rwanda-College of Agriculture Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Northern Province, Musanze City, Rwanda.
Abstract
Indigenous knowledge (IK) is a knowledge generated at local level and is unique in a local culture and society. Recognizing its importance can facilitate the cost-effectiveness of development interventions of a country through participatory collaboration. The overall objective of this study was to investigate the role played by indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) on soil and water conservation in Busogo and Mukamira sectors of Musanze and Nyabihu districts respectively in North-Western Rwanda. The area is much affected by soil erosion and the local population has generated local soil and water conservation technologies to deal with the problem. Data collection involved several methods including review of literature, focus group discussion, direct observation and a household survey on 236 households selected randomly. Binary logistic regression analysis and descriptive statistics analysis was used to describe the indigenous soil and water conservation systems used by the farmers. The binary logical regression results show that the coefficient estimate for gender (ß =-0.492) and education level of the farmers (ß =-0.028) have a negative influence on the application of IKS for soil and water conservation. The age of the farmers (ß =0.004), the occupation of the households (ß = 0.964), the land ownership (ß = 0.19) and size of the farm (ß = 0.315) possess a productive impact on the application of IKS for soil and water conservation. Indigenous soil and water conservation practices used in the study areas are crop rotation (83.9%), Intercropping (57.6%), mixed cropping (38.1%), cultivation on ridges/rows (76.7%), using stone bunds (67.4%), traditional dams/water retention ditches (66.5%), traditional cut-off drains (43.2%), Farm yard manure (67.8%), compost (66.5%), crop residues (36%) and green manure (8.5%). The findings from this study reveal the relevance of IKS in soil and water conservation in the study area. Therefore, there is need for researchers, experts and policy makers to recognize the role of IKS in soil and water conservation and promote integration rather than replacing indigenous technologies with new ones imposed to farmers.
Keywords
IKS, Indigenous Technologies, Adoption, Soil and Water Conservation, Agroforestry
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