Indigenous Knowledge Systems, a Critical Element in Sustainable Rural Development in Africa: Insights from Spatial Planning and Environmental Practices in Meta, Cameroon

The study examined indigenous ethos and practices relating to spatial planning and environmental stewardship in Meta, Cameroon. It uses a qualitative case study approach, drawing on archival sources, secondary data, colonial-era records, current literature, observational insights, and long-term contextual familiarity. The analysis draws theoretical inspiration from Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Political Ecology, and Resilience Theory. It affirms that many features of Meta’s indigenous physical structures, spatial configurations, agriculture, and environmental practices reflect a sophisticated understanding of sustainability and resilience. It identifies and analyzes specific initiatives imposed by exogenous forces, particularly colonial and post-colonial authorities, to supplant Meta’s indigenous ethos in human settlement and environmental planning. Finally, it highlights how Meta communities have used indigenous knowledge and local resources to adapt their settlements and other aspects of their livelihoods to ever-changing socio-economic and political environments. Its most significant scholarly contribution is its addition of knowledge on geopolitically-specific indigenous spatial practices to the ongoing discourse on rural planning and sustainability in Africa.