THE ASSESSMENT OF THE INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE OF THE RURAL FARMERS OF EKITI STATE, NIGERIA ON Dioscoreo

A combination of direct field observation and interviews utilising a semi-structured questionnaire matrix was used to assess the indigenous knowledge of rural farmers in Ekiti State, Nigeria, on Dioscoreophyllum cumminsii. The species' seasonal abundance was also investigated. The findings found that, while all respondents recognised the species, participation in its cultivation, either from seeds or through transplantation of wildlings, was extremely low and skewed toward older respondents. According to field observations, none of the respondents wanted to farm the species in the research region. Cultural stigmatisation, its apparent lack of economic and ethnomedicinal merits, and its low reproductive nature are currently serving as disincentives to its production. The data also demonstrated that the species was rare in both seasons on the abundance scale used in this study. When the respondents' indigenous knowledge of the species was examined, it was discovered that the older respondents had exceptional understanding of the species. The habit, occurrence, abundance, biology, and folk significance of the animal were all included in this knowledge. On the basis of the respondents' indigenous knowledge, conservation solutions were proposed.

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