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Abstract
There is ample evidence that much of Africa fails to meet basic criteria of
agricultural sustainable development and environmental preservation. The
objective of this study was to explore the management of natural resources
by self-help farmer cooperatives. The study was carried out in five local
government areas of Southwest Nigeria. These local government areas are
forest zones covered by derived savannah. The raining season normally
starts around April and ends in October/November, followed by a dry season.
Agriculture is the main occupation of the people. Several methods
were used to collect information. These included group discussions and
questionnaires. Results from the study show that women have played a major
role in almost every aspect of agriculture. Farmers possess valuable
knowledge of the natural resources in their environment. They have made
use of changes in soils and topography, which have resulted in planting patterns
in the scattered farms around the villages and distant farm plots. With
the help of cooperatives, farmers are taught how to develop innovatory regenerative
techniques to conserve the tree stock on the farm. These
techniques focus around the preservation of forest species. This study has
shown that given the opportunity, local farmers can face the environment
and tackle the problems when given the required support.