scholarly journals Seasonal Climate Prediction and Adaptation Using Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Agriculture Systems in Southern Africa: A Review

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Obert Jiri ◽  
Paramu L. Mafongoya ◽  
Chipo Mubaya ◽  
Owen Mafongoya
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Climatic Data ◽  
Health Food ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Rural Farmers ◽  
The World

<p>Erratic rainfall and increasing temperature is rapidly emerging as one of the most serious global problems affecting many sectors in the world. It is considered to be one of the most serious threats to sustainable development with adverse impact on environment, human health, food security, economic activities, natural resources and physical infrastructure. Southern Africa is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change in the world, particularly because of widespread poverty, recurrent droughts, inequitable land distribution, over-dependence on rain-fed agriculture and low adaptive capacity. Yet rural farmers in southern Africa have managed to survive the vagaries of climate change over the years. This review reveals that these rural farmers can use indigenous knowledge to cope and adapt to climate change. Availability and access to scientific weather information to make cropping and other decisions at the local level remain key issues to usage of climatic data by rural farmers. On the other hand, indigenous knowledge is what rural farmers have been using but is also becoming unreliable due to climate change and variability. Integration of indigenous knowledge and scientific seasonal forecast seems to be a key possible thrust to reduce vulnerability, enhance resilience of rural farmers and increase their adaptive capacity.</p>

NDVI dynamics as reflected in climatic variables: spatial and temporal trends – a case study of Hungary

2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 624-644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Szabó ◽  
Elemér ◽  
Kovács ◽  
Püspöki ◽  
Kertész ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Time Series ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Time Range ◽  
Climatic Data ◽  
Spatial Pattern Analysis ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Temporal Variance

Understanding climate change and revealing its future paths on a local level is a great challenge for the future. Beside the expanding sets of available climatic data, satellite images provide a valuable source of information. In our study we aimed to reveal whether satellite data are an appropriate way to identify global trends, given their shorter available time range. We used the CARPATCLIM (CC) database (1961–2010) and the MODIS NDVI images (2000–2016) and evaluated the time period covered by both (2000–2010). We performed a regression analysis between the NDVI and CC variables, and a time series analysis for the 1961–2008 and 2000–2008 periods at all data points. The results justified the belief that maximum temperature (TMAX), potential evapotranspiration and aridity all have a strong correlation with the NDVI; furthermore, the short period trend of TMAX can be described with a functional connection with its long period trend. Consequently, TMAX is an appropriate tool as an explanatory variable for NDVI spatial and temporal variance. Spatial pattern analysis revealed that with regression coefficients, macro-regions reflected topography (plains, hills and mountains), while in the case of time series regression slopes, it justified a decreasing trend from western areas (Transdanubia) to eastern ones (The Great Hungarian Plain). This is an important consideration for future agricultural and land use planning; i.e. that western areas have to allow for greater effects of climate change.

Natural Liabilities

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Collier
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Economic Activity ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Natural Processes ◽  
Power Stations ◽  
The World ◽  
Staple Foods ◽  
Intense Heat ◽  
Growing Population

Factories produce the goods that we want. They also spew out smoke. The smoky factory is, in fact, the classic image used by economists to illustrate the idea of an externality. The factory sells the goods but does not have to pay for the smoke. We now know that smoke is more damaging than previously appreciated. There is nothing more natural than carbon dioxide; it is one of the basic ingredients of life. Yet carbon has become a natural liability. It accumulates up in the atmosphere, trapping in heat. Of course carbon only becomes a problem when it passes the threshold at which it is excessive. We have passed that threshold. As the extra carbon traps in heat, the world heats up, and as it heats up the climate becomes more volatile. The consequences are wide-ranging, but Africa will be the region most severely affected. Africa is huge and climate change will not affect it uniformly, but it seems likely that the drier parts will become drier still, making staple foods unviable. Increased climate variation, which means droughts, floods, and bouts of intense heat, can wreak havoc with traditional cultivation. Agriculture, which is currently Africa’s main economic activity, will become less productive. A rapidly growing population will be scratching a living from a progressively less amenable natural environment. Carbon brings together the key themes of this book. Although it is natural, extra carbon is now a liability; there is nothing intrinsically benign about nature. It is emitted not just by industry but by a number of natural processes. For example, probably the most natural of all human economic activities is rearing cattle. Pastoralists have been ranging the wilderness for millennia. Unfortunately, in terms of global warming, they are more of a menace than nuclear power stations, which produce energy without emitting carbon. That is because cows fart. Being renewable, carbon shares much of the economics of fish and trees, except that instead of being a renewable natural asset it is a renewable natural liability. The damage it does depends not upon how much is emitted today, but on how much has been emitted cumulatively over recent decades.

scholarly journals Climate Change-Induced Impacts on Smallholder Farmers in Selected Districts of Sidama, Southern Ethiopia

Climate ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tafesse Matewos
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Adaptive Strategies ◽  
Southern Ethiopia ◽  
Climatic Data ◽  
Rural Farmers ◽  
Women's Participation ◽  
Family Decision Making ◽  
Literacy Level ◽  
Increasing Trends

Different factors control the types of adaptive strategies and likelihoods of experiencing climate change-induced impacts by smallholder farmers. By using a mixed research method, this study examines the types and determinants of climate change-induced impacts on smallholder rural farmers in drought-prone low lands of Sidama, Southern Ethiopia. Randomly selected (401) households were surveyed on climate change-induced impacts. Longitudinal climatic data were also collected from the Ethiopian National Meteorological Agency to assess the trend of rainfall (RF), temperature and drought incidents. The analyses of the data revealed that RF and temperature had shown decreasing and increasing trends, respectively, during the three decades under consideration (1983–2014). These changes in RF and temperature exposed farmers to climate-related epidemics, drought, harvest loss, and hunger. The logit model results revealed that different factors control the likelihood of exposure to climate change-induced impacts. The findings revealed that literacy level, involving women in family decisions and farmers’ involvement in adaptation planning, reduces the likelihood of exposure to climate change-induced hunger. Therefore, there is a need to work on human capital of the farmers through expanding education, strengthening women’s participation in family decision-making, and by improving public participation in climate change adaptation undertakings to minimize climate change-induced impacts.

scholarly journals Climate-change feedback on economic growth: explorations with a dynamic general equilibrium model

2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 515-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
FABIO EBOLI ◽  
RAMIRO PARRADO ◽  
ROBERTO ROSON
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Economic Growth ◽  
General Equilibrium ◽  
Computable General Equilibrium ◽  
Wealth Distribution ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
The World ◽  
Emissions Intensity

ABSTRACTHuman-generated greenhouse gases depend on the level and emissions intensity of economic activities. Therefore, most climate-change studies are based on the models and scenarios of economic growth. Economic growth itself, however, is likely to be affected by climate-change impacts. These impacts affect the economy in multiple and complex ways: changes in productivity, resource endowments, production and consumption patterns. We use a new dynamic, multi-regional computable general equilibrium (CGE) model of the world economy to answer the following questions: Will climate-change impacts significantly affect growth and wealth distribution in the world? Should forecasts of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions be revised, once the climate-change impacts are taken into account? We found that, even though economic growth and emission paths do not change significantly at the global level, relevant differences exist at the regional and sectoral level. In particular, developing countries appear to suffer the most from the climate-change impacts.

scholarly journals Assessment of Climate Change Vulnerability at the Local Level: A Case Study on the Dniester River Basin (Moldova)

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roman Corobov ◽  
Igor Sîrodoev ◽  
Sonja Koeppel ◽  
Nickolai Denisov ◽  
Ghennadi Sîrodoev
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Housing Conditions ◽  
Socioeconomic Characteristics ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Sensitivity Assessment ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽  
Relative Vulnerability

Vulnerability to climate change of the Moldavian part of the Dniester river was assessed as the function of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity of its basin’s natural and socioeconomic systems. As a spatial “scale” of the assessment, Moldova’s administrative-territorial units (ATUs) were selected. The exposure assessment was based on the climatic analysis of baseline (1971–2000) temperature and precipitation and projections of their changes in 2021–2050, separately for cold and warm periods. The sensitivity assessment included physiographical and socioeconomic characteristics, described by a set of specific indicators. The adaptive capacity was expressed by general economic and agricultural indicators, taking into consideration the medical provision and housing conditions. Through a ranking approach, the relative vulnerability of each ATU was calculated by summing its sensitivity and adaptive capacity ranks; the latter were obtained as combinations of their primary indicator ranks, arranged in an increasing and decreasing order, respectively. Due to lack of sound knowledge on these components' importance in overall assessment of vulnerability, their weights were taken as conventionally equal. Mapping of vulnerability revealed that ATUs neighboring to municipalities are the most vulnerable and need special attention in climate change adaptation. The basin’s “hotspots” were discussed with public participation.

scholarly journals CLIMATE CHANGE AND COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICTS: ARE THEY CORRELATED?

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 067
Author(s):  
Achmad Romsan ◽  
Farida Ali ◽  
Akhmad Idris ◽  
Adrian Nugraha ◽  
Nurhidayatuloh Nurhidayatuloh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Management ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Environmental Degradation ◽  
Major Change ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Water Shortages ◽  
Environmental Disputes ◽  
The World ◽  
The Government

Climate change and global warming affect major change in freshwater availability and season uncertainty which hamper all part of the globe. Although the phenomenon is not new but it needs concerns from all the government of States around the world to  address the problem. If notthe drought and water shortages will directly and indirectly be the world problem and finally will ignite conflict over resources.Pollution and environmental degradation will also affect the sustainability of community’s economic activities. In Indonesia, since the enforcement of the first Environmental Management Act of 1982 up to the third Environmental Management Act of 2019, there have been forty one conflicts involving community and industries and palm plantation companies. All the conflicts are brought before the courts. Herein, industries and plantations are blamed for responsible for river water pollution and environmental degradation. Unfortunately, there is very little information in Indonesia obtained from the research reports, journals, news papers, magazines whether climate change and global warming also responsible for the occurrence of community environmental conflict. From the second data sources obtained from outsite Indonesia it is found that there is a link between climate change and community environmental disputes. The objectives of this paper tryto examine whether the cases submitted and solved by the District Courtsalso have some connection with the climate change phenomenon. Other objectives are to recommend to the Government of Indonesia to strengthen the existing regulations dealing with the climate change

scholarly journals Connecting the world through local Indigenous Knowledge

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Margaret Sraku-Lartey
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Herbal Medicine ◽  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Sacred Groves ◽  
Call To Action ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Impact

This paper focuses upon the importance and value of local Indigenous Knowledge and how it is being threatened in today’s modern world rather than being leveraged to catalyze development. The author specifically calls out three types of Indigenous Knowledge: (1) medicinal knowledge related to human health, i.e., herbal medicine; (2) sacred groves – geographic areas set aside to preserve plants and animals and that can help to mitigate the impact of climate change; and (3) living libraries – communities of people who are also holders of cultural wisdom and history and who are custodians of all knowledge relating to the history of their own community. The author makes a call to action, requesting that scientists, librarians, publishers, and others in the information community collaborate and move forward together to save and build upon global Indigenous Knowledge.

scholarly journals Climate Change Induced Flood and Landslides and Farmer’s Adapatation Practices in Paddy Production: Evidence of Rural Hilly Nepal

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raghu Bir Bista ◽  
Ranjan Kumar Dahal
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Adaptive Behaviors ◽  
Effective Measure ◽  
Hilly Region ◽  
Wall Construction ◽  
And Behavior

Climate change is a buzzword in the world. Scientist has approved it as global warming with its projection of undesired and unpredicted frequent extreme events and their vulnerabilities not only at present but also at future. There is an assumption of occurrence of adaptive capacity and behavior of farmers in agriculture production activity at some extent to neutralize climate change vulnerabilities of flood and landslides on paddy production. This paper empirically examines the effects of climate change in paddy production and farmer&rsquo;s adaptive behaviors to neutralize such climatic shocks and events in paddy production by employing CD production function based econometric model. The study employed primary data collected through 642 household surveys. The study finds that climatic shocks and events have huge loss (60%) in paddy production and revenue income in such plot where farmers have not indigenous knowledge and practices. But both small and larger farmers who have adaptive capacity and behavior with their indigenous knowledge have less loss in paddy production and revenue income, although they have heterogeneity in their socio economic characteristics (income, asset holding, literacy, experience, land holding and age). The farmers who have used adaptive behavior have indigenous knowledge and experiences including bamboo wall construction to control flood and landslides and seed change to resist climatic shocks and events. In hilly region, the farmers have not sufficient alternative measures, except both adaptive measures because of their poverty, illiteracy and remote locations. The study finds their higher effective level to minimize vulnerabilities to paddy production and revenue per farm plot, although these adaptive behaviors are cost effective and local entity. Comparatively, bamboo wall construction is more effective measure in the paddy production than others are (seed switch) to minimize the flooding materials from the flood and the landslides. Thus, low cost indigenous adaption behavior of farmers is effective measure to climate change and climate change induced disasters and events vulnerability in paddy production.

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