Rural innovations and knowledge systems development and dissemination among cassava cooperative farmers in Southern Nigeria.

Modern day extension models pay greater attention to farmer's knowledge exchange interaction and farmer first approaches unlike the top down and transfer of technology etc, where actions of farmers were mostly receptive in areas of adoption of such imported technologies. The farmer to farmer knowledge exchange system takes its roots from indigenous knowledge development which is a predominant feature of peasant cassava farmers in Southern Nigeria. Cassava is a major source of dietary energy for low income consumers in many parts of tropical Africa and it is one of the most efficient crops in biomass production. In comparison with many other crops, it excels under sub-optimal conditions and can withstand drought conditions. It is a poverty alleviation crop and since the crop is mostly grown by the rural poor, they should be capable of initiating and expanding economic investments of their own. In collaboration with the other farmers, extensionists and scientists, they have helped to a greater extent to develop and disseminate some of the rural indigenous knowledge among themselves. This paper examines the nature of rural innovation and indigenous knowledge systems development, the theories and models of innovation and indigenous knowledge, techniques of information and knowledge dissemination among cassava co-operative farmers, and the benefits of co-operative movements in knowledge exchange among others in Southern Nigeria. Based on the available literatures and specific examples, some recommendations are made on better ways to harness these potentials in the rural areas for the overall National and continental sustainable agricultural development.