The power of indigenous knowledge in strengthening climate resilience

17th January 2018
by secretary

Paepard

12 January 2018. The power of indigenous knowledge in strengthening climate resilience

A new CTA publication on ‘Indigenous knowledge systems and climate change management in Africa’ was enthusiastically received at its recent formal launch in Johannesburg, South Africa during the 4th Global Science Conference on Climate-Smart Agriculture on 28-30 November 2017. At the launch, the publication’s co-editors, CTA’s Dr Oluyede Ajayi, Senior Programme Coordinator and Professor Mafongoya, at the University of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa, explained the importance of documenting knowledge accumulated by generations of indigenous people to effectively address the climate challenges faced by smallholder farmers in ACP regions.

The book has also sought to respond to a number of key questions about the different IK practices that are still used by smallholder farmers to manage climate change in Africa and assessing the extent to which this knowledge is still relevant and useful in contemporary situations. With a good understanding of IK, policymakers and development practitioners can integrate this valuable knowledge with scientific research to instigate development initiatives that are environmentally and socially appropriate to the local area, and therefore more sustainable in the long term.

The chapters cover a range of topics from Using indigenous knowledge for seasonal quality prediction in managing climate risk in sub-Saharan Africa to The challenges of documentation and conservation of indigenous knowledge for natural resources management. As CTA director, Michael Hailu, asserts in the foreword, “The present book represents CTA’s commitment to highlighting the contribution of IK to building climate resilience.” To this end, the case studies described under the various headings ultimately demonstrate the clear benefits of supporting the participation of local people at all stages of an intervention intended to improve the lives of rural communities in Africa.

Related:
Call for Expressions of Interest for experts.

Are you an independent expert in climate smart-agriculture, agribusiness, communication and knowledge management, or monitoring and evaluation?

CTA is looking for experts to serve as prospective consultants to CTA in various thematic areas for the implementation of CTA’s 2016 – 2020 strategic plan. The experts will provide support to CTA projects in terms of knowledge management, strategy development and planning, and impact assessment to help the Centre document measureable impact in the different intervention areas. Read more and apply :

Source: PAEPARD FEED

The power of indigenous knowledge in strengthening climate resilience

Share

You might also like