Indigenous Knowledge & The Environment (12a)

Question 1

What socio-economic issues are exacerbated by climate change? (3)

Answer 1

• HIV/AIDS crisis.

* Cost of petrol (affects food production & food transport therefore increasing food prices).

Question 2

Climate change in the African context? ()

Answer 2

• Africa is mostly vulnerable to climate change as it has a “low adaptive capacity”.
• Pressurizes local government to invest in sustainable that enable climate change coping strategies.

Question 3

Indigenous/local knowledge relating to climate change & sustainable environmental practices?

Answer 3

• Can use indigenous knowledge to better adapt to climate change.
• Can use indigenous knowledge (local farmers) to use better ergonomic practices.

Question 4

IPCC stands for?

Answer 4

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Question 5

IPCC report?

Answer 5

= acknowledges indigenous knowledge (IK) and practice.

Question 6

Sub-Saharan Africa & climate change issues? (4)

Answer 6

• most affected climate change region.
• persistent droughts.
• may cause large-scale crop failure.
• affected small-scale farmers as they grow crops for themselves & market.

Question 7

Indigenous Knowledge (IK)?

Answer 7

= local, traditional knowledge and skills that are held by the community compared to that held by international knowledge systems.

Question 8

IK can be seen as?

Answer 8

= the knowledge that is held by the indigenous people of an area.

Question 9

Why do we say that IK can evolve?

Answer 9

IK can evolve because there’s interactions between the members of the local & surrounding communities.

Question 10

IK components/criteria? (4)

Answer 10

• passed down from generation to generation.
• pased down through oral tradition.
• knowledge that belongs to a specific cultural group of people.
• knowledge is significant to that particular cultural group of people.
• locally situated.
• culturally embedded.

Question 11

Community in terms of IK?

Answer 11

= small-scale, bounded, face-to-face, homogenous, and egalitarian/ society.

Question 12

What is there IK interchangeable with?

Answer 12

Traditional Knowledge (TK).

Question 13

How is IK different to TK?

Answer 13

Differs in that it is linked to a particular place of local socio-ecology.

Question 14

How is IK & TK the same?

Answer 14

Both forms of knowledge pertain to a particular cultural group.

Question 15

Deduction/Conclusion of the difference between IK & TK?

Answer 15

IK is a subset of TK.

Question 16

Link between IK & environmental issues? (6)

Answer 16

• promotes better/practical/nuanced agronomic practices.
• taught through apprenticeships (orally & practically).
• more experience is known.
• IK systems.
• IK agriculture.
• IK is considered as human capital & social capital.

Question 17

IK systems?

Answer 17

= the ways & means where the local communities classify the indigenous knowledge & practices with some influence from their socio-economic circumstances.

Question 18

IK agriculture?

Answer 18

= local practices & indigenous animal and plant species which are maintained through local practices within local settings.

Question 19

Why is IK social capital?

Answer 19

Because it belongs to a particular group of people who have their own rules, norms, beliefs and practices that enable them to adapt to changing environmental conditions over time.

Question 20

Why is IK considered as a useful resource?

Answer 20

It enables adaptations & sustainable coping strategies to climate change.

Question 21

Why should we consider IK in terms of climate change and environmental practices in South Africa?

Answer 21

• IK and predictive capabilities.

Question 22

IK and predictive capabilities?

Answer 22

• Rainfall & weather patterns.
• Plants.
• Animals.
• Integration between modern science & IK and practices.

Question 23

Rainfall & weather patterns?

Answer 23

= where elders observe the behavioural patterns of birds, reptiles, insects, amphibians and plant species & use traditional rituals to predict rainfall (& therefore knowing periods of when to plant) & advice farmers & community members regarding agricultural practices.

Question 24

Rainfall & weather patterns? People involved?

Answer 24

Rainmakers/Queen Modjadji.

- knowledge to summon rain is taught to males to enable it being passed down from generation to generation.

Question 25

Explain use of knowledge on plants

Answer 25

= where the knowledge of plants is used to predict atmospheric change & changes in weather patterns in relation to agricultural seasons.

Question 26

Eg of knowledgeable plants?

Answer 26

Species of Combritum.

Question 27

Explain Animals & IK?

Answer 27

= observations of these animals through cues such as procreation & reproductive patterns of animals are used to understand when changes in the atmosphere & local conditions will take place.

Question 28

Eg of animal behaviour observation?

Answer 28

• Migration of particular species of birds (storks), snakes or amphibians.
• Butterfly migration.

Question 29

Integration between modern science & IK and practices?

Answer 29

= where farmers use left over or hybrid seeds with a combination of biochemical substances to increase farming productivity/farming success.