Ntanganedzeni Ramugondo, CSAG UCT, 26 April, 2017
I grew up in a community where anything just happened because it was just meant to happen. Well, at least we thought so and not many had the curiosity to ask themselves why. Livelihood activities such as farming were based on indigenous knowledge systems which are traced way back to the days of our great grandparents and are passed on from generation to generation. This was a time when indigenous knowledge could easily coincide with weather and seasonal forecasts. For example, people from the past where able to predict when the first summer rains were likely to occur. This knowledge was based on life time experiences of climate in particular regions. Through this experiential knowledge, subsistence farmers were able to reach their expected yields, reduce losses, and adapt to changing conditions.
However, with time, things have changed. Today we woke up in a community of heat waves, prolonged dry spells, and late onset of summer rainfall, extreme rainfall events and outbreaks of waterborne diseases. What happened?