Farmers Knowledge on Indigenous Soil Types: A Review

Abstract

This review explains the significance of smallholder farmers’ understanding of soil types as a dependable basis for subsistence crop production. The data presented in this review was sourced from literature on subsistence farming, indigenous soil nomenclature, and the suitability of various soils for different crop varieties. The review findings revealed four primary soil classifications, specifically loam, clay, sandy, and rocky, each exhibiting distinct variations in texture and colour. Farmers utilise soil texture and colour as indicators of the suitability of soil for certain crops. For example, black clay soil has high moisture retention and low susceptibility to erosion that mitigates the risk of crop failure. Farmers utilise this knowledge to mitigate the impacts of increasing temperatures and unpredictable precipitation patterns on the planting and management of crops. This type of adaptation mechanism could be incorporated into climate change adaptation policy to foster the use of community-based and innovative mechanisms to mitigate and cope with the negative impacts of climate change on subsistence food production. Keywords: Indigenous knowledge, ethnopedology, soil taxonomy, climate change, sustainable development, climate adaptation