The Relevance and Practices of Indigenous Weather Forecasting Knowledge among the Gabra Pastoralists of Southern Ethiopia

From Firenze University Press Journal: Journal of Agriculture and Environment for International Development (JAEID)

Dejene Alemayehu, Institute of Indigenous Studies, Dilla University, Dilla, Ethiopia

Yetebarek Hizekeal, Institute of Indigenous Studies, Dilla University, Dilla, Ethiopia

Understanding, predicting and anticipating changes in weather and other climatic variables is vital for rural communities, whose livelihoods rely directly on weather and climate conditions (Balehegn et al., 2019). Indigenous and local communities in Africa and elsewhere in the world that are inclined to disaster threats ably utilizedindigenous knowledge as the basis for their decision-making to manage their livestock, natural resources and subsistence livelihoods. According to Johnson (1992) and Steiner (2008) indigenous knowledge is a body of knowledge developed by a group of people through generations of living in close contact with the natural environment. These knowledge systems represent societies a massed knowledge and conceded on verbally from generation to generation through daily interaction (Ngulube, 2017; Mbewe et al., 2019). Despite, not equipped with scientific instrumentation and analytical tools and techniques, the local communities in Africa have developed the tremendous art of assessing weather conditions using their experience and accumulated knowledge of generations (Luseno et al., 2002; Eyong, 2016). Indigenous weather forecasting, as understood today, relates to proficiency of measuring weather conditions in advance (Rautela and Karki, 2015). Hence, indigenous weather forecasting provides information and insights that can be used for effective adaptation to climate change as well as for preparedness of rainfall and drought events at the local level (Chisadza et al., 2015).

As optimal management regimes in agriculture [crop and livestock production] depends basically on rainfalls (Luseno et al., 2002), indigenous weather forecasting isbeing developed with the thought that it might help pastoralists mitigate risk more skillfully, thereby helping avert crises (Barrett, 2001). Speranza et al. (2009) stipulated that agro-pastoralists in south-eastern Kenya observes the nature of clouds, faunas, floras, sun, moon, wind, migration patterns of birds and other physical changes in their environments to forecast the imminent weather conditions in their areas. Such indicators of rainfall forecasting, this way, made significant contributions towards more sustainable development (Zuma-Netshiukhwi et al., 2013) through providing early cautionary about possible risks or conceivably a good season that would enable timely planning foroptimum productivity (Lwasa et al., 2017). However, many farmers and pastoralists in Africa are likely to suffer the most from direct and indirect climate change, owing to their close connection to the natural world and their condensed socio-ecological resilience (Zuma-Netshiukhwi et al., 2013). In Gaza province of Mozambique,it has been reported that the current irregularity and changes in weather and climate adversely bothered the interpretation, accuracy, and reliability of most of bio-physical indicators, and thus their farming activities (Salite, 2019).Even though, climate change affects the whole world its impact is generous in least developed countries (Salza, 2019; Kidemu et al., 2020). The Ethiopian case is not different. Climate variability andchanges have exerted inconceivable impacts on the livelihoods and well-being of pastoralists who inhabited the arid and semi-arid lowlands of Ethiopia. Despite the fact that, indigenous weather forecasting have been abetted the Ethiopian pastoralists (i.e., Gabra, Borana, Afar, Mursi, Nyangatom, Somali, Hamer, etc.) to deal with multiple threats and to estimably utilize the exceedingly flexible environments, factors such as frequent and severe droughts (Kidemu et al., 2020), lack of systematic documentation and coordinated research (Radeny et al., 2019), disappearance of bio-physical indicators (Ayal et al., 2015), fast pacing economic, political and cultural changes on a global scale (Kimani et al., 2014) had intensely deteriorated the utilization of indigenous weather forecasting knowledge systems. Along this line, numerous authors (Roncoli et al., 2002; Ayal et al., 2015; Kagunyu et al., 2016) have stressed that climate change and associated increase in weather variability have resulted in decrease in the fidelity of many of the indigenous weather forecasting knowledge. Thus, many pastoralists in arid and semi-arid lowlands of Ethiopia are deserting the utilization of indigenous weather forecasting as consequences (Balehegn et al., 2019).

As Kimani et al. (2014) put it, the calamity of the imminent disappearance of indigenous weather forecasting is utmost evident to those who have developed it and make a living through this indigenous knowledge. Likewise, the ramification for others can be detrimental as well, when aptitudes, problem solving schemes and custodians are vanished.For numerous generations, the Gabra pastoralists have developed the expertise of measuring forthcoming weather events using their know-how and zealous observation of various indigenous indicators. As many pastoralist areas of Ethiopia comprising the Gomole district where the Gabra pastoralists mainly lives, don’t have the access to scientific weather forecasting centerthat can deliver them with proper information facilities, indigenous weather forecasting was the sole sources of climatological information for preparation and alleviation against imminent risky climatic incidents. Notwithstandingtheir efficiency, the Gabra pastoralist’s indigenous weather forecasting knowledge have not been scientifically documented in written form and thus are not reachable to researchers, development practitioners and other pertinent stakeholders. In addition, numerous indigenous indicators and custodians are at the margins of disappearances. Despite, numerous studies were previously piloted on the indigenous weather forecasting knowledge of the pastoralists and agro-pastoralists that dwelled in southern Ethiopia (i.e., Borana and Guji), the indigenous weather forecasting knowledge of Gabra pastoralists has not noticed adequately by the researchers. Hence, documenting and propagating as well as utilizing indigenous weather forecasting knowledge of the Gabra pastoralists in research and development programs will provides a rich ground for the development of the pastoralists in southern Ethiopia.

Therefore, this research systematically investigated the indigenous weather forecasting knowledge of Gabra pastoralists and proposes the fundamental role of indigenous weather forecasting in sustaining pastoralist’s resilience strategies. The objectives of this article were to explore the relevance of indigenous weather forecasting knowledge in adaptation to climate change; to identify the practices and various indigenous indicators used by the Gabra pastoralists to forecast the imminent weather conditions; and lastly,to illustrate the challenges presently faced by indigenous weather forecasting knowledge of theGabra pastoralists in Gomole district of southern Ethiopia.The article is organized into four sections. Below this brief introduction, materials and methods (incorporating the study area context) are discussed. While section three deals with results and discussions, the last section concludes and suggests the way forward.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/jaeid-12295

Read Full Text: https://www.jaeid.it/index.php/jaeid/article/view/12295