Abstract
We examine the wider social knowledge domain that complements technical and environmental knowledge in enabling adaptive practices through two case studies in Tanzania. We are concerned with knowledge production that is shaped by gendered exclusion from the main thrusts of planned adaptation, in the practice of irrigation in a dryland village and the adoption of fast-maturing seed varieties in a highland village. The findings draw on data from a household survey, community workshops, and key informant interviews. The largest challenge to effective adaptation is a lack of access to the social networks and institutions that allocate resources needed for adaptation. Results demonstrate the social differentiation of local knowledge, and how it is entwined with adaptive practices that emerge in relation to gendered mechanisms of access. We conclude that community-based adaptation can learn from engaging the broader social knowledge base in evaluating priorities for coping with greater climate variability.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13280-016-0828-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
There is growing recognition of the contributions of local knowledge to both planned and spontaneous adaptation to climate change in developing countries
We present the results of field research on local knowledge contributions to adaptive practices that demonstrate the grounding of local knowledge in local cultural institutions and histories of managing local environmental landscapes
It was not surprising that irrigation was scored quite low by both men and women in terms of its effectiveness in reducing climate risk in their respective household (Table S1). This is telling since irrigation as an adaptation to climate change has been given a high priority by Tanzania’s national government as is evident in national documents such as the National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA) and Kilimo Kwanza (Agriculture First) (Smucker et al 2015)
Summary
There is growing recognition of the contributions of local knowledge to both planned and spontaneous adaptation to climate change in developing countries. Peoples’ means of coping with past extreme climatic events may offer insights into local knowledge-based practices that can be ‘‘scaled up’’ or ‘‘scaled out’’ through planned adaptation (Forsyth 2013; Reid and Schipper 2014). The IPCC’s ‘‘Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation’’ found robust evidence and high levels of agreement in the scholarly literature that the integration of local knowledge with technical and scientific expertise has contributed to risk reduction and effective adaptation to climate change (IPCC 2014).
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