Indigenous knowledge can fight food insecurity amid climate change, new study says
A new study out of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona shows that indigenous knowledge of farming, crops, and local weather can be a powerful tool against food insecurity caused by climate change, reports Forbes. Published in the Journal of Ethnobiology, the study examines the Fatick region of Senegal in West Africa, where farmers have responded to historic periods of intense drought and rainfall by rotating between short-season and longer season crops. Using local and indigenous knowledge of crops and climate, farmers are capable of responding judiciously to rising temperatures, drought, and other changes in the weather. “Understanding how they use crop diversity to adapt to climate variations can be the basis of climate change adaptation policies that address local needs and constraints,” stated the study authors. —Patricia I. Escárcega
