Farmers Review Africa Sept/Oct 2018 FRA - September - October 2018 digital 5 | Page 25

FEATURE
Use of Indigenous Knowledge System in
the Rearing of Indigenous Chicken
By Innocent Mhangarai
M
ost small-scale farmers who tie
together traditional knowledge
in a bid to ensure maximum
output as well as sustenance of
their livelihoods have a competitive
advantage. This is because traditional
facts comprehend the intelligence,
data and philosophy of societies that is
passed from one generation to another.
Indigenous Knowledge Systems
refers to cultural practices and
traditional remedies used by a certain
community. The surviving Indigenous
Knowledge Systems inherited from
the past has persistently driven the
indigenous chicken production. IKS
is a means that can not only help to
crack indigenous difficulties as well as
a reserve to help produce more and
improved nourishment, but also serves
to stop conflict, manage homegrown
undertakings and thus contributes to
universal answers.
Indigenous knowledge plays a vital
role when it comes to the rearing of
indigenous chicken in SubSaharan
African countries. This is because
IKS makes up the social assets of the
underprivileged as well as their chief
ability to capitalize in the fight for
continued existence to produce food
and to accomplish control of their
lives. As such, their living becomes
completely dependent on explicit
abilities and such intelligence. As
such, it is safe to assume that IKS is
interwoven with the culture of these societies.
Indigenous Chicken
Indigenous chickens play an integral
role in the lives of rural women in
terms of food security and deficiency
mitigation. These chicken have the
ability to fight diseases and utilize low
quality feeds. Moreover, since this particular
breed is flexible in modern day changes in
consumer preferences, their products tend to
be highly favored by households.
However, ethnic understanding,
practices and expertise are necessary
for early cautioning, uncovering and
communal defense means against
infections. The indigenous ecotypes
of birds differ in physique, feathers
color and routines. These chickens are
resilient and grow well under severe
conditions with negligible inputs.
They get most of their feed from
hunting and irregularly benefit from
kitchen and other household litters.
Eggs and chicken meat contributes a
lot to the protein nourishment of the
rural societies. At night, chickens find
shelter in undeveloped enclosures,
frequently elevated from the ground,
which provide security from adverse
weather conditions and night predators.
Traditional significance of
indigenous chicken
Indigenous chicken play a dynamic
role through their influence to ethnic
and societal life of smallholder farmers.
They are given as contributions when
there are events in the community and
in most cases they belong to women.
Chicken are also reserved for special
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