Indigenous knowledge related to climate variability and change: insights from droughts in semi-arid areas of former Makueni District,Kenya |
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| Authors: | Chinwe Ifejika Speranza Boniface Kiteme Peter Ambenje Urs Wiesmann Samuel Makali |
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| Institution: | (1) Education and Training Soil Health Program (SHP), Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), CSIR Office Complex, #6 Agostino Neto Road, Airport Residential Area, PMB KIA 114 Airport - Accra, Ghana;(2) Department of Science and Technology Studies, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA |
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| Abstract: | This article describes the indigenous knowledge (IK) that agro-pastoralists in larger Makueni District, Kenya hold and how
they use it to monitor, mitigate and adapt to drought. It examines ways of integrating IK into formal monitoring, how to enhance
its value and acceptability. Data was collected through target interviews, group discussions and questionnaires covering 127
households in eight villages. Daily rainfall data from 1961–2003 were analysed. Results show that agro-pastoralists hold IK
on indicators of rainfall variability; they believe in IK efficacy and they rely on them. Because agro-pastoralists consult
additional sources, the authors interpret that IK forms a basic knowledge frame within which agro-pastoralists position and
interpret meteorological forecasts. Only a few agro-pastoralists adapt their practices in anticipation of IK-based forecasts
partly due to the conditioning of the actors to the high rainfall variability characteristic of the area and partly due to
lack of resources. Non-drought factors such as poverty, inadequate resources and lack of preparedness expose agro-pastoralists
to drought impacts and limit their adaptive capacity. These factors need to be understood and effectively addressed to increase
agro-pastoralists’ decision options and the influence of IK-based forecasts on their decision-making patterns. The limited
intergenerational transfer of IK currently threatens its existence in the longer term. One way to ensure its continued existence
and use is to integrate IK into the education curriculum and to link IK with formal climate change research through the participation
of the local people. However, further studies are necessary to address the reliability and validity of the identified IK indicators
of climate variability and change. |
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