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Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Subsistence Agriculture, Climate Risk Management, and Mitigation of Community Vulnerability in Changing Climate, Lake Victoria Basin: A Case Study of Rakai and Isingiro Districts, Uganda

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Nile River Basin

Abstract

Developing countries are vulnerable to negative impacts of climate change due to over reliance on climate-sensitive sectors, mainly agriculture. Limited adaptive capacity makes them vulnerable to climate-induced hazards. However, over the years, indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) have proven effective in promoting sustainable development particularly for those in subsistence agriculture. For example, in Lake Victoria basin, local communities have coped and adapted to climate-induced hazards using traditional systems and IKS. This chapter presents findings of a cross-sectional survey on the use of IKS in subsistence agriculture to enhance climate risk management and mitigation of community vulnerability in a changing climate. Data were collected by household questionnaires, key informants’ interviews, and focus group discussions. Results showed overall, significantly high community awareness levels prevail in study area, implicating climate change as the main challenge facing agricultural sector. Nevertheless, as climate change adaptation and mitigation measures, local communities use myriad of IKS to improve resilience and productivity. They use IKS in soil conservation, weather/climate forecasting, selection of planting seeds, and preservation of seeds/crops. This study, therefore, recommends incorporating IKS into scientific knowledge systems to promote climate change adaptation and mitigation among vulnerable communities dependent on climate-sensitive resources.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge financial support from African Climate Change Fellowship Programme (ACCFP) that was extended to Dr. Casim Umba Tolo to undertake a post-doctoral fellowship (Adaptation Science Fellowship). ACCFP is supported by a grant from Climate Change Adaptation in Africa (CCAA), funded jointly by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada and the UK’s Department of International Development (DFID). The International SysTem for Analysis, Research and Training (START) secretariat, USA is the implementing agency in collaboration with the Institute of Resource Assessment (IRA) of the University of Dar es salaam, Tanzania and the African Academy of Sciences (AAS). We also acknowledge support from the Institute of Resource Assessment (IRA) of the University of Dar es salaam, Tanzania as the ACCFP Host Institution for the post-doctoral fellow, and Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) as the ACCFP Home Institution. Special thanks go to Prof. Enock Amos Majule of IRA, University of Dar es salaam and Prof. Julius Bunny Lejju of Biology Department, MUST, Uganda for their tireless efforts in mentoring and guiding the post-doctoral fellow throughout the fellowship period. We are further grateful to the administrations of our respective universities for granting us time to do this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda

    Casim Umba Tolo & Julius Bunny Lejju

  2. Institute of Resource Assessment (IRA), University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

    Enock Amos Majule

Authors
  1. Casim Umba Tolo
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  2. Enock Amos Majule
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  3. Julius Bunny Lejju
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Correspondence to Casim Umba Tolo .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Earth & Environment ECS 339, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA

    Assefa M. Melesse

  2. South Florida Water Management District, West Palm Beach, Florida, USA

    Wossenu Abtew

  3. Florida International University, North Miami, Florida, USA

    Shimelis G. Setegn

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Tolo, C., Majule, E., Lejju, J. (2014). Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Subsistence Agriculture, Climate Risk Management, and Mitigation of Community Vulnerability in Changing Climate, Lake Victoria Basin: A Case Study of Rakai and Isingiro Districts, Uganda. In: Melesse, A., Abtew, W., Setegn, S. (eds) Nile River Basin. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02720-3_23

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