Meteorological Indigenous Knowledge Systems for Prediction of Rainfall in the Chimanimani District of Zimbabwe and Potential for Community Disaster Preparedness
The paper focuses on indigenous knowledge systems
(IKS) which people of Chimanimani District of Zimbabwe use to predict rainfall patterns. This is based on a 2019
socio-ecological study conducted in the district. The main objective of the study
was to establish the extent of use and efficacy of meteorological IKS for
prediction of rainfall in Chimanimani and to explore potentialcontribution of the
meteorological IKS in local community disaster preparedness. The study came at
the backdrop of a trail of unprecedented human and environmental destruction
that occurred in the district following the devastating Cyclone Idai of April
of 2019. Despite the existence of IKS and modern weather forecasting tools, the
Cyclone seemed to have caught both the community and government unprepared,
prompting this study. In depth-interviews and storytelling were conducted with
traditional leaders and community elders. A qualitative approach was applied
through the use of detailed interviews and focus group discussion to collect meteorological IKS from
three communities in the district. Thematic analysis anchored in the
interpretive and ontological paradigms was utilized within the realism theory. The meteorological IKS
found in the study were classified into five interpretive categories namely
vegetation, animals, birds, insects and cosmology. The study concluded that meteorological IKS are no longer widely
used due to a number of factors including inferioritisation and limited documentation. It was noted that the IKS havepotential for
incorporation into the community disaster preparedness frameworks.
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