Use of Indigenous Knowledge as a Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation among Farmers in sub-Saharan Africa: Implications for Policy

Abstract

The study discusses use of indigenous knowledge as a strategy for climate change adaptation among farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. The local farmers in this region through the indigenous knowledge systems have developed and implemented extensive adaptation strategies that have enabled them reduce vulnerability to climate variability and change over the years. However, this knowledge is rarely taken into consideration in the design and implementation of modern mitigation and adaptation strategies. This paper highlights some indigenous adaptation strategies that have been practiced in sub-Saharan Africa and the benefits of integrating such indigenous knowledge into formal climate change adaptation strategies. The study recommends the need to incorporate indigenous knowledge into climate change policies that can lead to the development of effective adaptation strategies that are cost-effective, participatory and sustainable.

Indigenous knowledge of rural communities for combating climate change impacts in west central Ethiopia

“…Climate change could have positive, negative or no impact on each pest. There is a need for better models to assess their global impact as most pest population prediction models have different spatial and temporal scales than global models (Reijntjes et al, 1992, Ajani et al, 2013. Crop pests are usually controlled by cultural practices, natural enemies, host plant resistance, biopesticides, and synthetic pesticides.…”

“…However, many of these control methods are highly sensitive to the environment and climate change may render them less effective. For example, there were indications that stem rot (Sclerotium rolfsii) resistance in groundnut is temperature dependent, while in Kenya resistance to sorghum midge(Stenodiplosis sorghicola) breaks down under high humidity and moderate temperatures (Ajani et al, 2013). The traditional techniques used for pest control include application of livestock urine and wood ash(31.4%), mix of different leaves(14.3%) such as clematishirsuta (Yeazohareg),crotonmacrostachyus (Bisana) Eucalyptus leaves, flooding over the affected land(0.8%),spraying boiled water(0.3%), frequent ploughing (0.8%),burning of crop residuals (2.5%),clearing of leaves around farmland (1.8%),disturb the pests using stick manually (4.5%), removing affected plants(0.8% and covering seeds with leaves and wood ash(0.5%) can be used to kill crop pests and diseases(Table3).…”

“…Communities indigenous knowledge has been defined as institutionalized local knowledge that has been built upon and passed on from one generation to the other by word of mouth (Ajani et al, 2013). Local peoples' knowledge focuses on elements of significance for local livelihoods, security, and well-being, and as a result, it is essential for climate change adaptation strategy.…”

“…Besides, the uncertainty associated with climate change demands an approach that prepares people without relying on detailed weather information and climate projections. In the last decades, Ethiopia has been implementing a community level environmental rehabilitation programme that focused on soil and water conservation (Ajani et al, 2013). This is a testimony that climate change impact adaptation policies should be considered part of the sustainable development process and be implemented at the grassroot level.…”

Assessing forest-based rural communities' adaptive capacity and coping strategies for climate variability and change: The case of Vhembe district in south Africa

“…Rain water harvesting has also been observed as a popular coping strategy among rural communities in Nigeria (Boon and Ahenkan, 2012) and Ghana (Ajani et al, 2013). The effectiveness and sustainability of rain water harvesting techniques often depend on the volume of the storage tanks that households install.…”