In Indigenous Knowledge: An Alternative for Food Security and Wellness in Africa, Emmanuel O. Oritsejafor argues that Indigenous Knowledge (IK) needs to play a central role in addressing food insecurity because IK methods result in sustainable agricultural practices which improve wellness. The application of IK in global communities demonstrates why it is an invaluable development alternative. For instance, Native Indians in the America's have survived over several generations using IK for agriculture and wellness purposes.

Oristejafor establishes the severity and breadth of food insecurity on the continent of Africa and critiques the western-led development model which has proven to be inadequate in solving Africa's food security needs. In this regard, Oritsejafor suggests that indigenous knowledge(IK) should serve as one of the central models for addressing food security because it takes into account consideration for the specificities of local conditions and relies on the knowledge and the environment of African communities. Contrarily, he posits that the reliance on modern technologies have not been able to halve hunger and poverty in Africa.

About the Author

Emmanuel O. Oritsejafor is professor of political science at North Carolina Central University.

Reviews

"Finally, we have 'the' book that explains why more than 60 years of projects from the World Bank, the IMF, and U.S. AID have failed to overcome global hunger and malnutrition. Oritsejafor doesn't just show where modern science has failed Africa, he offers a solution by showing how Indigenous Knowledge (IK) actually provides many scientific principles that can complement Western technologies that address food security and wellness. An impressive example comes in a chapter devoted to the Covid-19 pandemic, where Oritsejafor shows that in West Africa (where vaccines were not accessible in a region of poor health care systems, low health budgets, and a shortage of health practitioners), African communities were able to use IK of herbal plants with medicinal properties to boost immunity. The result was a death rate that was far less than that of the United States which was highly dependent upon corporate pharmaceuticals. Oritsejafor also shows the shortcomings of corporate food management regimes and land tenure systems, as well as how integrating women more fully into the Wellness sectors of African economies can help overcome food insecurities. His analysis of Indigenous Knowledge borrows from African sources as well as South Asian, Native American, and the Aboriginals of Australia."

-- Allan D. Cooper, N.C. Central University

"Food insecurity is one of Africa's major paradoxes. This is because the African continent is endowed with fertile land for agricultural production that could ensure food self-sufficiency for the constituent states. Emmanuel Oritsejafor has done a masterful job in deciphering the various external models of food production that are currently being used in Africa and concluded that they are not adequate frameworks. Alternatively, he proposes the use of indigenous African models of food production as the pathways to food security on the African continent. Thus, this is a major contribution to the debate on food security in Africa."

-- George Klay Kieh, Texas Southern University

"Emmanuel Oritsejafor demonstrates how the international agrotechnology industry has weakened the food production capacity of sub-Saharan Africa, making the continent food insecure and dependent on food import. Drawing expertly on the various indigenous food production systems among farming communities, he illuminates how African indigenous knowledge can be useful in addressing the continent's food insecurity challenge."

-- Samuel Wai Johnson, Delaware State University

"The book debunks the ethnocentric views of agricultural development and advocates for the utilization of sustainable indigenous knowledge as an alternative approach for food security in Africa. It is a must-read for all development scholars and policymakers with keen interest in finding sustainable solutions to global food insecurity."

-- Andrew I.E. Ewoh, Texas Southern University



Book Information
ISBN 9781793615084
Author Emmanuel O. Oritsejafor
Format Hardback
Page Count 186
Imprint Lexington Books
Publisher Lexington Books
Weight(grams) 449g
Dimensions(mm) 228mm * 160mm * 20mm