Abstract

The purpose of this study was to ascertain farmers’ knowledge, attitudes and management practices in conserving agricultural biodiversity in the Shiselweni Region. The study revealed that farmers’ livelihoods were quite diversified but were shifting to off-farm income-generating activities. Farmers had knowledge of agro-biodiversity and acknowledged the losses of biodiversity. Some farmers practiced agro-biodiversity conservation by practicing agroforestry while others diversified in production of agricultural products. There were a high continuity and heavy reliance on external inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and antibiotics for livestock which are not sustainable and were a threat as they damage the environment, weaken the nutritional value of foods and results in the loss of biodiversity. It was concluded that agro-biodiversity was highly threatened mostly by the spread of modern agricultural practices and that the knowledge and efforts in empowering farmers to adopt best agricultural practices were low. Therefore, it may be recommended that extension officers and agencies need to provide effective support for regional and national development strategies to improve farming, technologies and sustainable agricultural practices.

Keywords:

Agro-biodiversity, agricultural systems, climate change, food security, indigenous knowledge (IK), sustainable development,

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Competing interests

The authors have no competing interests.

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