Weather and climate forecasting by Afar pastoralists in Ethiopia

In many pastoral communities in Africa, traditional weather and climate forecasting is the most accessible and affordable source of such information. In the study “Indigenous weather and climate forecasting knowledge among Afar pastoralists of northeastern Ethiopia: role in adaptation to weather and climate variability” (by Mulubrhan Balehegn et al, published in Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice 2019 9:8), the forecasting by Afar pastoralists was documented through individual interviews and focus group discussions, with the aims to enhance use of this knowledge in climate-change adaptation and to explore synergies with modern weather forecasting. The Afar traditionally predict weather and climate variation by observing the behaviour of livestock, insects, birds, trees and wildlife. They forecast weather in a dynamic process, gathering information from different sources, including the modern weather forecasting system. Before the forecasting information is used, it is evaluated through three traditional institutions: i) the Edo or range scouting, where scouts are sent to assess weather and other spatially and temporally variable attributes on rangelands; ii) the Dagu, a traditional network in which weather information is shared; and iii) the Adda, the traditional Afar governance system, which analyses the traditional weather information before community decisions are made. The study revealed the value of indigenous knowledge in contemporary pastoralist communities, while highlighting synergy with the modern weather and climate knowledge system in a way that serves the objectives of local people.

Posted on 21 December 2019 in Pastoralism & Climate Change