**1. Introduction**

Agriculture has and will always play a crucial role in the survival of humanity and each nation's economy. With the world population growing at an average of 1.06% for the past 5 years (data.worldbank.org), the need to emphasize sustainable agricultural practices has become pertinent. This is because sustainable agriculture concerns itself with improving human condition and the impact of human activities on the environment and other species [1]. In September 2015, the world leaders during the UN Summit recognized the immense importance of adopting sustainable agricultural practices, thus emphasizing ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture in second place of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreement [2].

In 2019, the world population grew at the rate of 1.1% with the prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population at 10.5% [3]. As the events of 2022 keep unfolding, it will be false to say that the situation has improved. The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with the Russia-Ukraine war has led to the fear of a looming food crisis in Europe and other parts of the world. The case of the arranged passage of Ukrainian wheat from the war-thorn zone is a current case in point. Combating food insecurity entails adopting sustainable agricultural practices. To appreciate the need for sustainable agricultural practices, the importance and composition of the soil need to be known. The soil is not just another component necessary for crop production but rather a complex, living, fragile medium that requires protection and nurturing to ensure sustained productivity, profitability, and stability [4]. Sustainable agricultural practices encompass numerous variants of nonconventional agricultural practices that are often referred to as organic, alternative, regenerative, or ecological. However, a farm practice using organic farming methods does not guarantee that it is sustainable. Sustainable agricultural practices when adopted imply that the farm cultivates high-quality food while safeguarding resources (human and ecological) and generating profit for everyone in the value chain contrary to the popular opinion that the promoters of sustainable agriculture do not put into consideration the economic profitability of players in the agricultural value chain [4].

To ensure a sustainable agricultural value chain, all the stakeholders in the value chain have to be put into consideration. Bammann [5] noted that the value chain concept has proven very useful for the identification and formulation of workable action plans for the improved development of agricultural practices. The agricultural value chain constitutes the range of activities and phases of cultivation, processing, consumption, and disposal. The major players in an agricultural value chain include farm input suppliers, farmers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, exporters, and consumers. Hence, this study seeks to investigate the prevailing agricultural practices of key players in the value chain of Egusi to suggest practices that will guarantee sustainability throughout the value chain.
