Indigenous knowledge related to climate variability and change: insights from droughts in semi-arid areas of former Makueni District, Kenya

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 Climatic Change (2010) 100:295-315 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.

Key features for more successful place-based sustainability research on social-ecological systems: a Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS) perspective

“…The codesign, coproduction of knowledge, and coimplementation of practices imply the integration of multiple stakeholders' beliefs, perceptions, and interests, yet these are often conflicting (Stringer et al 2006, Lindenfeld et al 2014, Martín-López and Montes 2015. For example, the integration of indigenous, local, and ecological knowledge into the scientific process has been recognized recently as a crucial feature of understanding diverse SESs, but is also one of the key challenges facing PBSESR (Ifejika Speranza et al 2010, Bohensky and Maru 2011, Tengö et al 2014. The integration of different groups and fostering of a unified or coherent voice might be impossible or even undesirable under particular contexts (Voß and Bornemann 2011).…”

Ethno-meteorology and scientific weather forecasting: Small farmers and scientists’ perspectives on climate variability in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

“…Nonetheless, most of the eleven (11) items or statements are more sympathetic towards the efficacy of local knowledge. These items/statements were constructed based on our earlier interactions with local farmers and the literatures (see for instance, Ifejika Speranza et al, 2010;Orlove et al, 2010). They were rated on a 5-point Likert scale of 1-5.…”

“…Thus smallholder farmers value their ability to accurately observe and anticipate local conditions in various ways that serve their needs better than outside forecasts (see Onyango, 2009;Ouma, 2009). Elsewhere, it is acknowledged that local knowledge, at the least, plays a complementary role in generating climate information and understanding climate variability (see Ifejika Speranza et al, 2010;Orlove et al, 2010). The ability to anticipate changes at seasonal and shorter time scales and to adjust the farming practice accordingly, is a key element in creating resilience of indigenous farmers to the vagaries of weather conditions, thus serving as the basis for improving food security.…”

Indigenous knowledge of a changing climate

“…Ifejika Speranza et al (2009) stress the need to integrate Indigenous knowledge into education programmes in Kenya in order to maintain and strengthen culture. Ifejika Speranza et al (2009) also note the need to recognise that the preexisting stresses in many communities are a core reason in why otherwise resilient communities may have difficulties adapting to a climate changed world.…”

“…Returning to the African continent, the third paper by Ifejika Speranza et al (2009) focuses on the Indigenous knowledge held by the agro-pastoralists in the Makueni District, Kenya. Interviews conducted by the authors in several villages identified how these agro-pastoralists incorporate Indigenous knowledge and meteorological forecasts into their planning decisions and how they use it to monitor, mitigate and adapt to drought.…”