Indigenous knowledge strengthens community resilience in Zambia’s agroecological region I

Climate change poses significant challenges globally, impacting ecosystems, economies and communities across the world. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is particularly vulnerable due to its reliance on climate-sensitive activities yet faces limited adaptation initiatives due to resource constraints. Indigenous knowledge (IK) offers valuable insights and practices for climate change adaptation but remains underutilized and poorly integrated into mainstream initiatives in Zambia. This study assessed the indigenous perspectives and knowledge on climate change impacts and adaptation strategies across three districts in Zambia’s Agroecological Region I. Using surveys, focus group discussion and community meetings, the study shows that community observations on changes in temperatures, erratic rainfall, shorter growing season closely aligns with meteorological data. Water scarcity was the most significant impact of climate change disrupting agriculture, livelihoods and food security thus communities have combined the ecological and cultural-spiritual practices. Indigenous knowledge has been used to interpret climate signals through observations of animal behaviour, plant phenology and atmospheric patterns. These observations inform seasonal planning and risk management. Despite notable importance at local level, there is low integration of indigenous knowledge into formal interventions and policies mainly due to cultural gaps, mistrust, lack of documentation and limited validation. We recommend increasing participatory research in indigenous knowledge and strengthening collaboration between local communities, academia, researchers and policy makers could advance more inclusive, context specific, socially and culturally acceptable.