Adaptation to Climate change in the Nkhota-kota district of Malawi

Abstract

Climate change is the noticed change in climate patterns in the world, drawing from various weather patterns taken across the world. This study set out to look at how rural farming communities are adapting to climate change by drawing from their own locally available knowledge (LKFs). For this study, adaptation to climate change using LKFs also meant to look at the presence of scientific knowledge and the combination of the two types of knowledge forms. This was done by researching in the village of Mwala o’ Tongole in Nkhotakota district of Malawi. A qualitative research was conducted guided by the following research themes; people’s perceptions of climate change and the causes of climate change; local people’s application of local and scientific knowledge as they adapt to climate changes; the effects that adaptation to climate change has had on other aspects of communities lives, in particular the religious, social and political domains, and finally, how people’s adaptation knowledge can be incorporated into policy and inform policy-makers in dealing with mitigation and adaptation of climate change. The study came to show that, the people of Mwala o’ Tongole did know that there was climate change occurring in their community and beyond. They cited factors such as delayed onset of rains, higher temperatures, increased floods and cyclones amongst others as signs of climate change. The change in climate was attributed to human actions and supernatural factors beyond human control. The temperatures and rainfall trends of Malawi as shown from the records of the Malawi Meteorological department showed that temperatures were significantly increasing while the mean for rainfall was drastically decreasing. The study also found local and scientific knowledge to be at play in this village. Local knowledge (LK) was the knowledge which was developed within the community through the years, from their own interaction with the environment and their lived experiences. This is the knowledge they mostly use to adapt to climate change. Conversely, scientific knowledge was brought in by the Agriculture Extension Officers and the schools, and it is also being used in adapting to climate change. The effects of adaptation to climate change on specific cultural domains show that they have both been negative and positive. The study recommends that policy making should provide for intervention research, utilisation of LKFs, capacity building and women involvement in adaptation strategies. These strategies should allow coordinated information sharing, credit provision and weather risk insurance. Likewise, continuous education and training for agriculture extension officers and the local farmers on emerging issues in climate change adaptation should be prioritised.