I would like
to thank Mari for this comment. I wanted to respond in detail, which is why I
decided to embed this comment in this blog post. It also naturally follows on
from my previous
blog post about small scale irrigation (SSI) schemes.
From a
post-colonial lens, one strength of SSI that stands out for me is how the
design and implementation of the schemes can empower local farmers and utilise
traditional water management systems. However, many SSI schemes in Ethiopia
have failed to utilise this local knowledge which has led to conflict, along
with disrupting existing community organisation (Carter
2016). Upsetting traditional community structures should be avoided when
managing SSI (ibid). Thus, there
should be an element of integration within existing structures and practices in
order to fully realise the benefits of SSI. To answer Mari’s question, incorporating
indigenous methods is an essential part of the consultation process when introducing
SSI, and must not be completely disregarded. Having said this, a major weakness
of SSI schemes is that it has a track record of being unsuccessful during dry seasons
and less adaptable to droughts - a time when demand for irrigation peaks
(Kloos and Legesse 2010). Furthermore,
the consultation process is time-consuming; time is of the essence since climate
change is intensifying precipitation variability throughout Africa at a rapid
rate. Mari is absolutely correct – the nature of precipitation is uncertain and
SSI may not hold all the solutions for this, unless droughts are properly planned
for by installing high quality storage systems with reduced leakage. Also,
efficiency needs to be enhanced and difficult decisions need to made as to
which crop to prioritise during dry spells.
In the blog
post that Mari commented on, I talked about how my grandmother used various
forms of indigenous knowledge, passed down from her parents, to manage the limited
water supply that was available to her. I found a paper which overlapped with
some of the things that my grandmother used to do back home in Sri Lanka.
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Figure 2: My grandmother in action. My grandmother
utilised indigenous knowledge whilst farming
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Ulluwishewa
(2014) describes how
Terminalia Arjuna (kumbuk) trees were
placed on the side of wells due its cooling effect, and once burnt, would be positioned
at the bottom of wells to reduce the salinity of
the water. In the clay pots that grandmother and mother used to use to collect
water from wells, these were lined with the seeds of Stryclinos potatorum, also known as the clearing nut, which
helped to clean the water (ibid). These
actions may be perceived as outdated, but these are highly innovative ways of
coping with difficult situations and utilising the resources that are
available.
Similarly,
indigenous knowledge has played a vital role in allowing populations across
Africa to cope and adapt to the effects of climate change (Nyong
2007). For example, in the Sahel region, nomadic pastoralists often
circulate between dry areas towards to the north and wetter areas in the South
in order to reduce pressure on less fertile grazing land (ibid). They also kill weak livestock during droughts for food (ibid). Astonishingly, indigenous
knowledge has also been important for climate change mitigation, through the
use of agroforestry and forest management acting as a form of carbon
sequestering (ibid). Agroforestry is a ‘rational
land-use planning system that tries to find some balance in the raising of food crops and forests’ (ibid: 793). Local
populations have thorough understanding of the properties of various plants and
the performance of trees under various climatic environments which has proven
invaluable to the success of forest management (ibid:
793)
To
summarise, it is important to acknowledge the nuanced difference between
mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation strategies will help to reduce climate
change, which in turn will reduce the intensification of water scarcity throughout
Africa. However, adaptation is accepting the terrifying fate of climate change and
adjusting accordingly. Still, there is nothing wrong in adapting in order to
save lives in a currently desperate situation. Indigenous knowledge must not be
disregarded from climate change discussions as a whole, as it is a useful tool
for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
List of
References
Carter, R. and K. Danert (2006) FARM-Africa Ethiopia:
planning for small-scale irrigation intervention, London, UK: Farm-Africa.
Kloos, H. and W. Legesse (2010) ‘Small scale irrigation
and microdams’, in H. Kloos and W. Legesse (eds.) Water Resources and Management in Ethiopia: Implications for
the Nile Basin, London:
Cambria Press, 103-116.
Ulluwishewa,
R. (1994) ‘Women's indigenous knowledge of water management in Sri Lanka’, Indigenous
knowledge and development monitor, 2, 3, 17-19.
Nyong, A., F. Adesina and B. O. Elasha
(2007) ‘The value of indigenous knowledge in climate change mitigation and
adaptation strategies in the African Sahel’, Mitigation and Adaptation
strategies for global Change, 12, 5, 787-797.