Traditional climate knowledge: a case study in a peasant community of Tlaxcala, Mexico

Abstract

BackgroundTraditional climate knowledge is a comprehensive system of insights, experiences and practices used by peasant communities to deal with the uncertainties of climate conditions affecting their livelihood. This knowledge is today as relevant in the Mesoamerican and Andean regions as it is in Europe and Asia. Our research sought to analyze the traditional knowledge about the weather and climate in a rural village of the state of Tlaxcala, Mexico, and its importance in decision-making in agriculture.MethodsThrough 30 interviews and participant observation in the community during 2013, information was gathered about traditional climate and weather indicators and prediction tools, as well as rituals and agronomic and agroforestry strategies. This information allowed for the reconstruction of the community’s agro-festive calendar. Data analysis was carried out with the help of the qualitative analysis software Atlas.ti (version 7).ResultsThe socio-ecological importance of traditional knowledge about the climate lies in its ability to forecast local weather conditions and recognize climate variations, so vital to the food security of rural families. Knowledge about climate predictors is exchanged and passed on from generation to generation, contributing to the preservation and promotion of biodiversity. By observing the behavior of 16 animals and 12 plant species (both domestic and wild) as well as seven astronomical indicators, villagers are able to predict rain, dry weather and frosts. However, the continuity of this traditional knowledge in the community under study is now compromised by the little interest in agriculture characteristic of the younger generations, the ensuing abandonment of the countryside, the widespread economic crisis and the disappearance of animal and plant species.ConclusionsTraditional climate knowledge includes the understanding of weather events and weather changes at different time scales (hours, days, weeks, and seasons). The ability to interpret weather events thanks to the accumulated knowledge about the climate through generations may prove today a relevant tool for improving agricultural practices and dealing with local and global socio-ecological changes.

Environmental interactions between people and birds in semiarid lands of the Zapotitlán Valley, Central Mexico

“…On the other hand, for the interpretation of the ECPs and the omens, in which a reading of the environment and predictions is developed, these processes are still carried out to the extent that they are still useful for the daily life of the inhabitants. In addition, the teaching of these dynamics of reading and interpretation continue being transmitted, while observation allows the residents to establish complex relationships with their natural environment and from that generate environmental knowledge at the local level to deal with uncertainty in time and space [15].…”

“…In addition to their direct use, birds are associated to the announcement of rains, the description of changes in winds (climatic and environmental changes predictors), they are part of legends and omens of events, and they may be protecting as amulets [13][14][15][16]. Use of birds as omens and predictors are based on culturally learned and shared meanings in various human communities; this relationship makes birds dynamic elements in societies, beyond their ecological role in ecosystems [16].…”

Understanding local and scientific knowledge about flooding adaptations in low-lying areas of Central Vietnam

“…As one of the low-lying areas of the Thua Thien Hue province, it was selected to conduct the survey (Figure 1). The Quang Dien district is located in the northern area of the province, about 20 km far from the Hue city, with a population of 82,813 inhabitants settled in 16 Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) was used to collect information applying three techniques. Firstly, a semistructured questionnaire was used to interview 10 keyinformants in the An Xuan village, those having experience, heads of the community and the elderly.…”

Seasonal Calendars Enhance Climate Communication in the Pacific

“…Local understanding of seasonality, based on traditional knowledge (TK), also known as indigenous knowledge, plays an important role in many communities in building resilience to climate extremes and adapting to climate variations and change and is a key determinant of adaptive capacity in the Pacific region (e.g., Lefale 2010;Chand et al 2014;McMillen et al 2014;Handmer and Iveson 2017;Warrick et al 2017). There are growing concerns that TK is being rapidly eroded due, in part, to rapid urbanization, an emphasis on western science, and the apparent changing reliability of traditional indicators due to climate change (e.g., King et al 2008;Kaniaha et al 2012;Seuseu et al 2013;Rivero-Romero et al 2016), and that this will have negative impacts on the health of environments and people (Balick et al 2019).…”