ABSTRACT
The world is at the verge of having a global crisis, with environmental degradation and malnourishment being two points of focus. Industrial agriculture, otherwise referred to as conventional agriculture, has led to ecological degradation globally. The use of heavy machinery, chemical fertilizers, heavy irrigation, and intensive tillage have had negative impacts on the environment and future generations. A solution in form of sustainable agriculture and its methods have the potential to replace conventional agriculture. Sustainable agriculture attempts to produce food in the same quantity as industrial agriculture, but while ensuring environmental, social, and economic factors are at equilibrium. The willingness of farmers to adopt such techniques, however, remains unclear. This study examined farmers’ perceptions and personal adoption of a newly introduced sustainable agriculture technique, permaculture, in a rural, semi-arid region of northeastern Nigeria. All respondents participated in a training program in permaculture in 2015. Perceptions were measured based on increase in crop yields and social benefits. Questionnaires (n = 34) were used to obtain data from respondents. Using descriptive statistics, multinomial logistic regression analyses, and crosstabulations, I found that 33 of the 34 respondents experienced an increase in their crop yields. While most respondents experienced social benefits, these benefits were more commonly reported among women. My findings suggest that rural farmers have a positive disposition toward sustainable agriculture and permaculture in particular.
Keywords: Conventional agriculture, crop yield, Nigeria, perceptions, permaculture, social benefit, sustainable agriculture
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
The word sustain originated from the Latin word sustinere, which means to maintain or to keep in existence (Gold, 2015). Sustainability is based on the philosophy that we are obligated to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising that of the future. A historical definition of agriculture states that it is a science which educates us on what crops are to be planted on a particular type of soil and what processes are involved in order to achieve high yields. Understanding the definition of these two terms results in a concept known as sustainable agriculture, it is an essential motion that is important for the future of farming and may protect the world’s food and crop system from degenerating. Sustainable agriculture can simply be elucidated as a process of producing crops in such a way that the economic, environmental and social aspects of farming are at equilibrium (Kopali 2013). It can also be defined as a philosophy based on human achievements and understanding the future impacts of our activities on the environment and other living organisms.
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