Traditional Knowledge and Practices for Resilience to Climate Change in Nepal’s Mid-Hills: Perspectives from Darma and Madi Rural Municipalities

Abstract

With climate change impacting countries around the world, rural communities in Nepal are among those most affected. As acknowledged by global climate discourses, traditional knowledge plays a vital role in understanding and adapting to climate change. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to explore how community members from Darma and Madi Rural Municipalities in western Nepal experience the impacts of climate change, how their traditional knowledge and practices contribute to resilience to these impacts, and how they may integrate non-traditional knowledge to further enhance resilience. This was achieved by conducting 34 interviews and four focus group discussions in the two municipalities, which were analysed through grounded research methods and linked to the resilience functions of anticipating, recognizing, adapting, and learning. The results reflect that participants have observed significant changes in their environment, which have affected local agriculture, livestock, health, and financial stability. The researchers found that community members employ a variety of traditional practices and knowledge contributing to environmental, economic, social, and infrastructural resilience. These practices relate to agriculture and livestock rearing, water, hazard and forest management, health, social organizing, and infrastructure. However, challenges in managing unprecedented environmental changes and unpredictable impacts have also led some community members to further enhance their resilience by adopting non-traditional practices. While such practices show initial benefits for local farmers’ resilience, long-term effects need to be further researched, as well as approaches for the holistic integration of traditional and non-traditional knowledge within the communities.

Popular Abstract

As climate change gets more serious, rural villages in Nepal are fighting unpredictable weather that endangers their daily lives. Fortunately, people in these places have inherited wisdom from their ancestors that helps them deal with many challenges. However, as new problems emerge, commmunities are also learning new skills to cope. The mission of this research was clear: talk to community members, hear their perspectives, and understand how they are tackling climate change on a daily basis. Are their traditional, time-tested customs helping? Are new ideas also contributing?

Over many generations, rural and Indigenous communities in Nepal have cultivated their local knowledge and practices to thrive harmoniously with their environment. These practices have stood the test of time, prompting people to determine which crops to plant when, how to manage the soil, how to care for livestock, which plants may provide natural healing, and how to best support each other in times of need. Now, as the weather is changing more drastically, some of these time-tested practices may no longer be enough. Imagine being a farmer who relies on crops to feed the family. Suddenly, new pests are appearing and rainfall is scarce for months. Land is giving way to landslides, forest fires are erupting, and rivers are bursting their banks, causing floods that destroy cropland. These natural outbursts harm the crops people rely on and threaten lives. People are getting sick more often and their mental health is being tested. Adding to these concerns is the fear of not finding alternative livelihoods beyond their traditional ways.

However, as the boundaries of traditional practices are being stretched, people are progressively embracing new and innovative techniques. From planting new crop varieties to using machinery for harvesting, lifting water from rivers to household taps, and eliminating pests with chemicals – these techniques support people to persevere in the face of unprecedented change. Locals from Darma and Madi are blending the old and the new to find solutions to the problems they are facing. Many are finding additional sources of income by migrating abroad, selling livestock, or starting new businesses. Others are using new ways to build their homes and making use of modern health facilities.

Piecing these stories together shows how integrating traditional wisdom with new ideas can have many benefits for local communities. However, these new ways may need more cultivation cycles to determine if they can stand the test of time in a sustainable way. Furthermore, many farmers are still struggling to figure out how they can take action to manage the weather changes, as many do not have enough money or access to training and education about new technologies and approaches.

The communities in Darma and Madi are at the forefront, tackling the impacts of climate change by blending the local and global, ancestral and modern. Further research and understanding of how traditional and new ways can work together may reveal many pathways for making our world more resilient in the face of change.

• author: Rodehorst, Dina-Josepha and Black-Lock, Tabitha
• supervisor: Per Becker
• organization: Division of Risk Management and Societal Safety
• course: VBRM15 20232
• year: 2023
• type: H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
• subject: Earth and Environmental Sciences
• keywords: Climate change, traditional knowledge, Indigenous knowledge, Nepal, resilience, agriculture, Magar
• language: English
• id: 9139693
• date added to LUP: 2023-10-09 10:52:41
• date last changed: 2023-10-19 12:09:58