Abstract

Traditional ways of reading nature’s clues to figure out impending weather are
widely practiced in many rural societies in the world. They have been, however,
often discounted by a western science-based meteorological forecasting system,
although they are important sociocultural tools for mitigating climatic risks. This
paper concerns two thematic issues: traditional knowledge about reading nature’s
clues to figure out impending weather; and the transformation of that knowledge in
the changing context of livelihood, the intervention of modern education, and use
of modern weather forecasting technology. This study was carried out at Kirtipur of
the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, between 2011 and 2021. Information was collected
through key informant interviews, observation, and informal discussion and survey.
The findings reveal that the traditional weather forecasting system is closely
intertwined with climatic phenomena, traditional agriculture practices, the local
landscape, myths, and beliefs. The recognition of farmers’ knowledge on weather
forecasting should be a resource of a great potential value. However, rapid
expansion of the market economy, access to modern technology, affordability, access
to modern education, and anthropogenic climate change have gradually detached
people from their farmlands, traditional livelihoods, and occupations. All of this
seems to have weakened social interaction between generations as well as their
attachment to nature. Last, we conclude that the production and consumption of
weather forecasting knowledge need local and scientific communities to work
together to reduce knowledge gaps.

Significance Statement
The purpose of this study is to understand how farmers read nature to figure out
impending weather, even as such knowledge is gradually weakening with the expansion
of new technology, the intervention of modern education, the shift from farming-
based to nonfarming activities for livelihood, and climate change. In such a
context, the survival of traditional weather forecasting knowledge may seem
uncertain. Our study reveals that traditional weather forecasting knowledge is
rooted in the local landscape and subsistence farming culture. Therefore, the
production and consumption of weather forecasting knowledge need local and
scientific communities to work together to reduce knowledge gaps and recognize the
contributions of both types of knowledge.

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Farmers Reading Nature's Clues to Figure Out Impending Weather

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Poudel, Jiban Mani ;

Sigdel, Madan ;

Chhetri, Ram Bahadur ;

Sudarsan, K. C.

Abstract

Traditional ways of reading nature's clues to figure out impending weather are
widely practiced in many rural societies in the world. They have been, however,
often discounted by a western science-based meteorological forecasting system,
although they are important sociocultural tools for mitigating climatic risks. This
paper concerns two thematic issues: traditional knowledge about reading nature's
clues to figure out impending weather; and the transformation of that knowledge in
the changing context of livelihood, the intervention of modern education, and use
of modern weather forecasting technology. This study was carried out at Kirtipur of
the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, between 2011 and 2021. Information was collected
through key informant interviews, observation, and informal discussion and survey.
The findings reveal that the traditional weather forecasting system is closely
intertwined with climatic phenomena, traditional agriculture practices, the local
landscape, myths, and beliefs. The recognition of farmers' knowledge on weather
forecasting should be a resource of a great potential value. However, rapid
expansion of the market economy, access to modern technology, affordability, access
to modern education, and anthropogenic climate change have gradually detached
people from their farmlands, traditional livelihoods, and occupations. All of this
seems to have weakened social interaction between generations as well as their
attachment to nature. Last, we conclude that the production and consumption of
weather forecasting knowledge need local and scientific communities to work
together to reduce knowledge gaps.