Aging in the Contested Floodplain

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Abstract This chapter examines the effects of institutional changes on the social, economic, and cultural aspects of Indigenous older people of the Kafue flats floodplain in southern Zambia. The Indigenous people lived relatively modest lives with economic independence. However, their lives were negatively affected by institutional changes in the access, utilization, and management of pool resources as well as by the effects of climate change. Based on an analysis of evidence and experience of living in the area, the chapter argues that traditional management of pool resources was more sustainable and beneficial to Indigenous people than that brought about by institutional changes. It concludes that Indigenous livelihoods were under threat due to institutional changes and modernization. The latter contributed to “empty nests” and caused a transformation in living arrangements, thus leaving older people more vulnerable. The chapter suggests that future research should focus on how government policy changes need to be synchronized with the livelihoods and traditional culture of Indigenous people in a given area to enhance what is already known and beneficial to a locality.