Local and Indigenous Knowledge System

Definition

"Local and indigenous knowledge refers to the understandings, skills and philosophies developed by societies with long histories of interaction with their natural surroundings."

Source: UNESCO

Explainer

Indigenous communities hold unique skills, strategies and practices to contribute towards locally appropriate adaptation and mitigation, such as identifying the most resilient crops and best approaches to environmental monitoring. Case studies of indigenous forms of climate change intervention include the efforts of community members in the Chagaka Village in Chikhwawa, Southern Malawi, where indigenous knowledge systems have intervened in the agricultural repercussions of changes in rainfall patterns. More examples of locally-led adaptation actions in Senegal, Nigeria, and Ghana, can be found here.