Climatic Change · 2009 · 469 citations · 51 references
LawEnvironmental Social ScienceClimate ScienceClimatologyIndigenous StudiesAgricultural Climate AdaptationIndigenous KnowledgeIndigenous Knowledge SystemsIndigenous PeoplesLocal KnowledgeTraditional KnowledgeAgricultural Traditional KnowledgeIndigenous Agricultural KnowledgeIndigenous Biocultural KnowledgeIndigenous Cultural FrameworksIndigenous Peoples ParticipationIndigenous Seasonal IndicatorsLocal Environmental IndicatorsLocal Knowledge Transmission
In southern Uganda, rain‑fed farmers rely on anticipating interannual precipitation variability, using a four‑component indigenous knowledge system that includes seasonal pattern familiarity, local climate indicators, meteorological observations, and regional seasonal progress information. The study examines these four components and demonstrates how they interconnect. The authors analyze the social contexts and cultural frameworks that shape the perception, evaluation, discussion, and application of this knowledge. The integrated knowledge system enables farmers to act as both agents and consumers in climate‑science‑based adaptation programs, enhancing planning for climate variability and change.
Farmers in southern Uganda seek information to anticipate the interannual variability in the timing and amount of precipitation, a matter of great importance to them since they rely on rain-fed agriculture for food supplies and income. The four major components of their knowledge system are: (1) longstanding familiarity with the seasonal patterns of precipitation and temperature, (2) a set of local traditional climate indicators, (3) observation of meteorological events, (4) information about the progress of the seasons elsewhere in the region. We examine these components and show the connections among them. We discuss the social contexts in which this information is perceived, evaluated, discussed and applied, and we consider the cultural frameworks that support the use of this information. This system of indigenous knowledge leads farmers to participate as agents as well as consumers in programs that use modern climate science to plan for and adapt to climate variability and climate change.
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The Development of Indigenous Knowledge
Paul Sillitoe · Current Anthropology · 1998 · 694 citations · Full text
The Utilitarian Factor in Folk Biological Classification
Eugene S. Hunn · American Anthropologist · 1982 · 495 citations
Life Sciences, Anthropology, Biology +16