Abstract:
This research set out to investigate the extent to which Ik has been used, and can still be used to guarantee sustainable agricultural production. The research also studied those constraints that militate against sustained use of the Ik system as well as strategies for enhancing the practices. A survey research was employed for the study. Five research questions were developed and answered based on the purpose of the study. Also, five null hypotheses were formulated and tested at the probability of 0.05 level of significance. The population for the study was 3,562, made up of 484 teachers of agricultural science, 38 agricultural extension agents and 3,040 registered crop and livestock farmers in the state. A structured questionnaire was developed, validated by experts and used to collect data from the 240 respondents. The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation, while ANOVA was used to test the hypotheses. The findings of the study revealed that almost all the Ik practices identified were used in sustainable agricultural production. The result of the hypotheses tested showed that a significant difference existed in the mean ratings of the groups of respondents on the Ik practices used in crop / livestock production, soil conservation; constraints to the use of Ik and the enhancement strategies . It is therefore recommended that the general farming society be provided with these knowledge practices. Also, research institutes, teachers of agriculture and extension agents shall be acquainted with, and then requested to work for successful implementation of these IK practices for a sustainable agricultural production.
