Climate change early warning signs and use of indigenous knowledge among Pastoralists in Namwala, Zambia

Abstract

Climate variability and change is one of the environmental stresses that have impacted negatively on the Zambian economy. In Namwala District in Southern Zambia, a study was conducted among pastoralists with the aim of understanding early warning signs to climate change. The objective was to determine pastoralists’ local perceptions to climate variability and establish early local warning signs and use of indigenous knowledge in weather forecast. The study used typical sampling technique in the selection of household heads and was exploratory in nature. The findings established that the majority of pastoralists (85%) have heard climate change information from a combination of sources including radio (45%), relatives, friends and neighbours (32%), agriculture and veterinary extension officers (25%), television (8%), and internet through mobile phones (5%).  The findings further show that early warning signs and use of indigenous knowledge manifested in form of tree leaves sprout and flowering (65%), clouds and weather conditions (56%) and insects and animal behaviour (51%) as the best-known weather forecast indicators for the majority of the respondents, followed by astronomical celestial bodies (40%) and bird chirping (34%). Thus, local perceptions and indicators of climate variability and change shows that there was a growing understanding among pastoralists that climate variability and change were happening and are continuously affecting their livelihoods. The study concludes that although extreme weather events are unavoidable, weather and climate information at local level should be identified, understood, and interpreted using local early warning signs and indigenous knowledge with scientific approaches, methods and tools. It is recommended that although pastoralists have built up sufficient adaptive capacity to live with change and uncertainties, they should be understood together with other relevant partners in gathering, processing and forecasting early warning information to achieve Sustainable Development Goal number 13 on Climate action.