Assessment of On-farm Cultivation and Conservation of Indigenous Fruit Species in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Aims: The study aimed at the identification of the disincentives hindering their on-farm cultivation in Ekiti State.

Place of Study: The study was carried out in Ekiti State, Nigeria.

Methods: A combination of social survey and direct field observation was used to assess the on-farm cultivation of indigenous fruit species (IFS) in Ekiti State, Nigeria.

Results: Twelve IFS were identified. Field observation revealed that despite the fact that these IFS were reservoirs of numerous returns in the study area, considerable number of factors threatens their cultivation hence present dependency is based on those growing in the wild.

Conclusions: Respondents’ indigenous knowledge on the identified species were documented and used for proposing conservation strategies that would enhance the sustainability of the IFS.