Indigenous Knowledge and Drought in the Arid Zone of Rajasthan. Weather prediction as a means to cope with a hazardous climate

Abstract

This contribution investigates the role of indigenous knowledge of village people in selected rural dry areas of Rajathan. It tries to draw a picture of their perceptions of nature and society and how they are mutually connected to make agricultural life possible in a hazardous climate. The intricate knowledge of one’s surroundings is a prerequisite for survival in geographical regions with precarious physical and climatic conditions. Thus ways of predicting and reacting to natural calamities such as drought have always been a socio-cultural means of mitigating disastrous effects on the living conditions of the rural population. In a sample study, 309 households from twelve villages in three typical climatic regions of Rajasthan have been surveyed. Four groups of locally relevant indicators of drought prediction have been established, namely climatic, vegetational, and animals’/birds’ behavioural changes and social behavioural activities. The village peoples’ different perceptions over 94 years (1891-1984) have been recorded and compared with the rainfall data records and data on crop maturity. The trend of this comparison shows that villagers perceived years with statistically high rainfall as drought years and vice versa. A holistic perception of social and natural phenomena provides a more authentic representation of the environmental situation than, for instance, mere figures of precipitation. Belief in prediction means that people know and observe their surroundings with great attention and subtlety, and thus make themselves at home in a very well adapted and sustainable way.