Identification and validation of African indigenous knowledge practices on management of crop pests in Kitui West sub-county

Abstract

Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa is predominantly subsistence and perennial food deficits, cyclic famines characterize it, and poverty is prompted largely by erratic rainfall patterns, declining soil fertility, and pests and diseases. In Kitui County, farmers are largely small-scale and face various challenges: from poor soil fertility to erratic rainfall. The farmers, too, have not been spared by the pest menace. Consequently, they have resorted to unwarranted and unregulated application of synthetic pesticides. Besides the dangers of exposure to the chemicals are erosion and even total loss of the much-valued Indigenous Knowledge developed and accumulated over time. The current study was therefore carried out to identify, document, and validate identified Indigenous Technologies practiced in the management of key field and storage pests in the Kitui West sub-county. The study focused on collecting information on the traditional practices used to manage field and storage pests. It involved a field survey using a questionnaire administered to randomly selected farmers and a desk review of existing information in Kitui west. The current study's findings indicate that farmers use a variety of African Indigenous Knowledge (AIK) methods to manage field and storage pests. The study established that the older generation of farmers (46.10%) is more inclined to use indigenous pest control methods than the younger generation (0.7%) of farmers. It was also established that the more educated farmers leaned more towards using chemicals in pest control compared to the lesser educated lot. Participants frequently identified the application of ash as one of the most crucial aspects of pest management. They pointed out that they dusted/applied ash on the grains immediately before storing them to curb the spread of pests. The effectiveness of ash in controlling the primary storage pest of cowpeas, the cowpea bruchid (Callosobruchus maculatus) that affects cowpea, was determined in the laboratory. Wood ash provided cheaper and safer control of the cowpea bruchid. The use of wood ash provided mechanical protection, especially when it was thoroughly mixed with cowpeas. The cowpea bruchids also find it difficult to move around cowpeas that had been mixed with ash. The current study recommends that more farmers be encouraged to embrace AIK through proper education and sensitization, especially the younger generation through the use of government and non-governmental organizations. The organizations can play their part in ensuring the proper use of indigenous methods and the availability of resources that encourage the use of traditional methods.