Indigenous Knowledge and Resilience to River Floods in West Africa

Indigenous Knowledge and Resilience to River Floods in West Africa

Title	Indigenous Knowledge and Resilience to River Floods in West Africa
Authors/Contributors	Aryee, A.A. (Author) Kloos, J. (Author)
Date	2019
Abstract Note	The Chereponi District (Northern Ghana) and the Oti District (Northern Togo) situated along the Oti River Basin in West Africa are similarly exposed to seasonal floods which affect lives and livelihood. This chapter investigates how affected communities in these districts build their resilience to floods by focusing on the role of indigenous knowledge (IK). A conceptual framework adapted for this study was used to measure the different dimensions of resilience. Data collection included household interviews, focus group discussions and field observations. Indicators for measuring resilience were developed from literature and observation. Altogether, fifteen indicators proved to be relevant. The results showed differences in resilience in the affected communities. IK was more relevant for building resilience in the Chereponi District than in the Oti District. However, for nearly half of the respondents in the Oti District IK did not help reduce crops loss. Meanwhile in the Chereponi District, the vast majority could not avoid lower harvests despite using IK. Factors such as climate variability and change made the biophysical indicators used in the communities less useful. In the Chereponi District, the late arrival of black and white birds (an indicator for flooding) seems to become less effective due to climate variability and change. Furthermore, results revealed some coping successful strategies such as use of early maturing seeds. This strategy could be transferred from the Oti District to the Chereponi District to improve their resilience. Additionally, new building codes with local material seem promising and could be introduced in low lying areas in the Chereponi District. © 2019 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Resource Type	Book Section
URL	https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85133083242&partnerID=40&md5=3f6747fa57d651c3b413125f39bc759b
Citation	Aryee, A. A., & Kloos, J. (2019). Indigenous Knowledge and Resilience to River Floods in West Africa. In Advancing Climate Change Research in West Africa: Trends, Impacts, Vulnerability, Resilience, Adaptation and Sustainability Issues (pp. 1–45). Scopus. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85133083242&partnerID=40&md5=3f6747fa57d651c3b413125f39bc759b
Link to this record	http://ikbe-library.unimelb.edu.au/bibliography/LBPVK266/

Title

Authors/Contributors

Aryee, A.A. (Author)

Kloos, J. (Author)

Date

2019

Abstract Note

The Chereponi District (Northern Ghana) and the Oti District (Northern Togo) situated along the Oti River Basin in West Africa are similarly exposed to seasonal floods which affect lives and livelihood. This chapter investigates how affected communities in these districts build their resilience to floods by focusing on the role of indigenous knowledge (IK). A conceptual framework adapted for this study was used to measure the different dimensions of resilience. Data collection included household interviews, focus group discussions and field observations. Indicators for measuring resilience were developed from literature and observation. Altogether, fifteen indicators proved to be relevant. The results showed differences in resilience in the affected communities. IK was more relevant for building resilience in the Chereponi District than in the Oti District. However, for nearly half of the respondents in the Oti District IK did not help reduce crops loss. Meanwhile in the Chereponi District, the vast majority could not avoid lower harvests despite using IK. Factors such as climate variability and change made the biophysical indicators used in the communities less useful. In the Chereponi District, the late arrival of black and white birds (an indicator for flooding) seems to become less effective due to climate variability and change. Furthermore, results revealed some coping successful strategies such as use of early maturing seeds. This strategy could be transferred from the Oti District to the Chereponi District to improve their resilience. Additionally, new building codes with local material seem promising and could be introduced in low lying areas in the Chereponi District. © 2019 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Resource Type

Book Section

URL

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85133083242&partnerID=40&md5=3f6747fa57d651c3b413125f39bc759b

Citation

Aryee, A. A., & Kloos, J. (2019). Indigenous Knowledge and Resilience to River Floods in West Africa. In Advancing Climate Change Research in West Africa: Trends, Impacts, Vulnerability, Resilience, Adaptation and Sustainability Issues (pp. 1–45). Scopus. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85133083242&partnerID=40&md5=3f6747fa57d651c3b413125f39bc759b

Link to this record

http://ikbe-library.unimelb.edu.au/bibliography/LBPVK266/