Original Research

The contribution of indigenous knowledge to disaster risk reduction activities in Zimbabwe: A big call to practitioners

Ernest Dube, Edson Munsaka
Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies | Vol 10, No 1 | a493 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/jamba.v10i1.493 | © 2018 Ernest Dube, Edson Munsaka | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 10 May 2017 | Published: 26 March 2018

About the author(s)

Ernest Dube, Department of Development Studies, Midlands State University, Zimbabwe
Edson Munsaka, Faculty of Commerce, National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe

Abstract

This article examined the contribution of indigenous knowledge to disaster risk reduction activities in Zimbabwe. The current discourse underrates the use of indigenous knowledge of communities by practitioners when dealing with disasters’, as the knowledge is often viewed as outdated and primitive. This study, which was conducted in 2016, sought to examine this problem through analysing the potential contribution of indigenous knowledge as a useful disaster risk reduction intervention. Tsholotsho district in Matabeleland, North province of Zimbabwe, which frequently experiences perennial devastating floods, was used as a case study. Interviews and researcher observations were used to gather data from 40 research participants. The findings were that communities understand weather patterns and could predict imminent flooding after studying trees and clouds, and the behaviours of certain animal species. Local communities also use available local resources to put structural measures in place as part of disaster risk reduction interventions. Despite this important potential, the study found that the indigenous knowledge of disaster risk reduction of the communities is often shunned by practitioners. The practitioners claim that indigenous knowledge lacks documentation, it is not found in all generational classes, it is contextualised to particular communities and the knowledge cannot be scientifically validated. The study concluded that both local communities and disaster risk reduction practitioners can benefit from the indigenous knowledge of communities. This research has the potential to benefit communities, policymakers and disaster risk reduction practitioners.

Keywords

flooding; disaster risk reduction; indigenous knowledge; communities; practitioners

Metrics

Total abstract views: 8186
Total article views: 9377

 

Crossref Citations

1. Flooding in the James Bay region of Northern Ontario, Canada: Learning from traditional knowledge of Kashechewan First Nation
Muhammad-Arshad K. Khalafzai, Tara K. McGee, Brenda Parlee
International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction  vol: 36  first page: 101100  year: 2019  
doi: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2019.101100

2. Disaster Preparedness Using Local Wisdom Approach in Palu City
Muhammad Rusydi, Yutdam Mudin, Rahmawati, Sabhan
Journal of Disaster Research  vol: 18  issue: 8  first page: 852  year: 2023  
doi: 10.20965/jdr.2023.p0852

3. Application of analytic network process (ANP), local and indigenous knowledge in mapping flood vulnerability in an informal settlement
Garikai Martin Membele, Maheshvari Naidu, Onisimo Mutanga
Natural Hazards  vol: 120  issue: 3  first page: 2929  year: 2024  
doi: 10.1007/s11069-023-06313-2

4. Once upon a time: Teachers’ narratives on climate change education
Golaleh Makrooni, Satia Zen, Khairil Azhar, Eero Ropo, Mohammad Ali, Laksmi Dewi
International Review of Education  vol: 72  issue: 1  first page: 37  year: 2026  
doi: 10.1007/s11159-024-10114-5

5. COVID-19, Domestic tourism and Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Zimbabwe
Ngoni Courage Shereni, Regis Musavengane, Erisher Woyo
Studia Periegetica  vol: 41  issue: 1  year: 2023  
doi: 10.58683/sp.501

6. Co-production of risk knowledge and improvement of risk communication: A three-legged stool
Raul P. Lejano, C. Emdad Haque, Fikret Berkes
International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction  vol: 64  first page: 102508  year: 2021  
doi: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102508

7. Chilean Disaster Response and Alternative Measures for Improvement
Luciana das Dores de Jesus Da Silva, Susanne Kubisch, Mauricio Aguayo, Francisco Castro, Octavio Rojas, Octavio Lagos, Ricardo Figueroa
Social Sciences  vol: 13  issue: 2  first page: 88  year: 2024  
doi: 10.3390/socsci13020088

8. Characterising Local Knowledge across the Flood Risk Management Cycle: A Case Study of Southern Malawi
Robert Šakić Trogrlić, Grant B. Wright, Melanie J. Duncan, Marc J. C. van den Homberg, Adebayo J. Adeloye, Faidess D. Mwale, Joyce Mwafulirwa
Sustainability  vol: 11  issue: 6  first page: 1681  year: 2019  
doi: 10.3390/su11061681

9. Adapting to climate change: Perspectives from smallholder farmers in North-western Ghana
Dramani Juah M-Buu File, Francis Xavier Jarawura, Emmanuel Kanchebe Derbile
Cogent Social Sciences  vol: 9  issue: 1  year: 2023  
doi: 10.1080/23311886.2023.2228064

10. Effectiveness and Cost‐Effectiveness of Ecosystem‐Based Disaster Risk Reduction Interventions in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries: A Rapid Systematic Review
Suchi Kapoor Malhotra, Ashrita Saran, Ratika Bhandari, Kevin Ouma Ojiambo, Sujata Shirodkar, Gavin Stewart, Howard White, Hugh Sharma Waddington
Campbell Systematic Reviews  vol: 21  issue: 4  year: 2025  
doi: 10.1002/cl2.70083

11. Why does community-based disaster risk reduction fail to learn from local knowledge? Experiences from Malawi
Robert Šakić Trogrlić, Melanie Duncan, Grant Wright, Marc van den Homberg, Adebayo Adeloye, Faidess Mwale
International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction  vol: 83  first page: 103405  year: 2022  
doi: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2022.103405

12. Program Implementation of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) And Teachers’ Capabilities Among Public Elementary Schools
Desiree Queroyla, Elpedio Lomarda
Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal  vol: 45  issue: 6  first page: 761  year: 2025  
doi: 10.70838/pemj.450606

13. A collaborative integrated Indigenous knowledge-based flood risk reduction model
Uchenna Omoruyi, Ogochukwu Nzewi, Vongai Mpofu
Jàmbá Journal of Disaster Risk Studies  vol: 17  issue: 1  year: 2025  
doi: 10.4102/JAMBA.v17i1.1913

14. Integration of customary values and megalithic local wisdom in disaster mitigation: An ethnographic perspective from The Bada Valley
Lusia Salmawati, A. Ferina Herbourina Bonita, Pertiwi, Muhammad Sabri Syahrir, Ummu Kamilah, Muh. Ryman Napirah, Vidyanto, Amilah Eka Putri, Rendhar Putri Hilintang, Moh. Abid T. Akase
IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science  vol: 1586  issue: 1  first page: 012066  year: 2026  
doi: 10.1088/1755-1315/1586/1/012066

15. Local reports of climate change impacts in Sierra Nevada, Spain: sociodemographic and geographical patterns
David García-del-Amo, Peter Graham Mortyn, Victoria Reyes-García
Regional Environmental Change  vol: 23  issue: 1  year: 2023  
doi: 10.1007/s10113-022-01981-5

16. A co-design approach for stakeholder engagement and knowledge integration in flood risk management in Vhembe district, South Africa
Ephias Mugari, Nthaduleni Samuel Nethengwe, Anesu Dion Gumbo
Frontiers in Climate  vol: 7  year: 2025  
doi: 10.3389/fclim.2025.1517837

17. Knowledge management and natural disaster preparedness: A systematic literature review and a case study of East Lombok, Indonesia
Ratih Dyah Kusumastuti, A. Arviansyah, N. Nurmala, Sigit S. Wibowo
International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction  vol: 58  first page: 102223  year: 2021  
doi: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102223

18. Flood risk management by community stakeholders: A Malaysian case study
Nurul Zainab Along, Iftekar Ahmed, Jamie MacKee
The Malaysian Journal of Qualitative Research  vol: 8  issue: Issue 1  first page: 32  year: 2022  
doi: 10.61211/mjqr080104

19. Living with Floods: Applying the Adversity Acceptance as Resilience Framework to Flood Management Practices in Hoi An Ancient Town
Ky Nam Nguyen
TRaNS: Trans -Regional and -National Studies of Southeast Asia  first page: 1  year: 2026  
doi: 10.1017/trn.2026.10015

20. Nursing Students’ Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Disaster Preparedness: A Cross-Sectional Study
Nermen Mohamed, Hassanat Abdel-Aziz, Mohamed Elsehrawy
Risk Management and Healthcare Policy  vol: Volume 16  first page: 2427  year: 2023  
doi: 10.2147/RMHP.S435131

21. Reimagining North-South Research Collaborations in the Face of Global Climate Change: Strengthening the Role of ICTs in Adaptation Strategies
Joram Ndlovu, Douglas Nyathi
E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences  vol: 6  issue: 14  first page: 3990  year: 2025  
doi: 10.38159/ehass.202561444

22. Indigenous people's perception of indigenous agricultural knowledge for climate change adaptation in Khumbu, Nepal
Tshering Ongmu Sherpa
Frontiers in Climate  vol: 4  year: 2023  
doi: 10.3389/fclim.2022.1067630

23. Using local and indigenous knowledge in selecting indicators for mapping flood vulnerability in informal settlement contexts
Garikai Martin Membele, Maheshvari Naidu, Onisimo Mutanga
International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction  vol: 71  first page: 102836  year: 2022  
doi: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2022.102836

24. “Listening to the Sounds of the Water”: Bringing Together Local Knowledge and Biophysical Data to Understand Climate-Related Hazard Dynamics
Natasha Pauli, Mark Williams, Savuti Henningsen, Kevin Davies, Chanchhaya Chhom, Floris van Ogtrop, Sochanny Hak, Bryan Boruff, Andreas Neef
International Journal of Disaster Risk Science  vol: 12  issue: 3  first page: 326  year: 2021  
doi: 10.1007/s13753-021-00336-8

25. External stakeholders’ attitudes towards and engagement with local knowledge in disaster risk reduction: are we only paying lip service?
Robert Šakić Trogrlić, Melanie Duncan, Grant Wright, Marc van den Homberg, Adebayo Adeloye, Faidess Mwale, Colin McQuistan
International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction  vol: 58  first page: 102196  year: 2021  
doi: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102196

26. Opportunities and challenges of mainstreaming disaster risk management in faith institutions
Peter Masvotore
Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies  vol: 16  issue: 1  year: 2024  
doi: 10.4102/JAMBA.v16i1.1667

27. Community perceptions, knowledge, and coping mechanisms concerning perennial climate change-related disasters along the Volta estuary of Ghana, West Africa
Memuna M. Mattah, Precious A.D. Mattah, Adelina M. Mensah, Francis Adarkwah, Justice Mensah, Kwasi Appeaning Addo
Scientific African  vol: 25  first page: e02333  year: 2024  
doi: 10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02333

28. Incorporating indigenous knowledge systems-based climate services in anticipatory action in Zimbabwe: an ex-ante assessment
Thulani Dube, Anna Lena Huhn, Gabriela Guimarães Nobre, Elisha Nyikadzino Moyo, Markus Enenkel
Frontiers in Climate  vol: 6  year: 2024  
doi: 10.3389/fclim.2024.1301908

29. Indigeneity and emergency management: an emic “gaze” on the role of traditional knowledges and cultural practices in emergency management contexts
Lucy H Kaiser (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha), Christine M Kenney (Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Toarangatira, Ngāi, Suzanne R Phibbs (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha)
AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples  vol: 21  issue: 2  first page: 285  year: 2025  
doi: 10.1177/11771801251334297

30. The relationship between knowledge and disaster preparedness of undergraduates responding to forest fires
Fajar Wulandari, Budijanto Budijanto, Syamsul Bachri, Dwiyono H. Utomo
Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies  vol: 15  issue: 1  year: 2023  
doi: 10.4102/jamba.v15i1.1408

31. Predicting Factors Affecting Preparedness of Volcanic Eruption for a Sustainable Community: A Case Study in the Philippines
Josephine D. German, Anak Agung Ngurah Perwira Redi, Ardvin Kester S. Ong, Yogi Tri Prasetyo, Vince Louis M. Sumera
Sustainability  vol: 14  issue: 18  first page: 11329  year: 2022  
doi: 10.3390/su141811329

32. A place-based virtual field trip resource that reflects understandings from multiple knowledge systems for volcano hazard education in Aotearoa NZ: Lessons from collaborations between Māori and non-Māori
Sriparna Saha, Sylvia Tapuke, Ben Kennedy, Sara Tolbert, Kelvin Tapuke, Angus Macfarlane, Shelley Hersey, Graham Leonard, Rita Tupe, Pouroto Ngaropo, Kiharoa Milroy, Bubs Smith
Journal of Geoscience Education  vol: 71  issue: 3  first page: 388  year: 2023  
doi: 10.1080/10899995.2022.2109397

33. Impact of climate change-induced natural disasters on intangible cultural heritage related to food: a review
Vimbainashe Prisca Dembedza, Prosper Chopera, Jacob Mapara, Lesley Macheka
Journal of Ethnic Foods  vol: 9  issue: 1  year: 2022  
doi: 10.1186/s42779-022-00147-2

34. What does it mean to decolonise the curriculum: is it possible?
Ruth Heilbronn
Ethics and Education  vol: 20  issue: 1  first page: 63  year: 2025  
doi: 10.1080/17449642.2025.2460382

35. Local-indigenous knowledge on disaster risk reduction: Insights from the Mamanwa indigenous peoples in Basey, Samar after Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines
Ginbert Permejo Cuaton, Yvonne Su
International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction  vol: 48  first page: 101596  year: 2020  
doi: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101596

36. Examining flood vulnerability mapping approaches in developing countries: A scoping review
Garikai Martin Membele, Maheshvari Naidu, Onisimo Mutanga
International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction  vol: 69  first page: 102766  year: 2022  
doi: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102766