Preserving the traditional knowledge of women in climate change adaptation traditional knowledge can be a valuable resource in addressing the climate crisis.
Researcher Dr Jane Awi (PhD) is leading a study that sheds light on the wisdom held by women regarding climate change adaptation in Papua New Guinea’s rural communities.
Dr Awi is one of six current recipients of Climate Research Grants, which are provided through a partnership between the PNG Climate Change Development Authority (CCDA) and the Australian Government.
Funded by a K130,000 Climate Research Grant from Australia, the University of Goroka (UOG) Academic and Executive Director of the Somare Research Institute is documenting the climate insights and strategies used by women subsistence farmers in the Simbu and Madang provinces.
Dr Awi’s findings show that women in rural PNG develop a deep understanding of environmental patterns through daily tasks like farming and water collection. Dur to this close connection, women are often the first to observe changes in climate and quickly adapt their agricultural and survival strategies.
One example is how women from Simbu’s Kerowagi district utilize traditional drainage systems to combat floods.
Heavy rains not only destroy crops but also wash away nutrient-rich topsoil, reducing productivity and threatening food security.
To prevent this, Dr Awi explained that women dig drainage channels up to a metre deep. These effectively direct excess rainwater away from food crops, helping to prevent waterlogging and soil erosion.
Passed down through generations, this practice has become an important strategy to manage the impacts of changing rainfall patterns from climate change. “Recognizing and valuing women’s traditional knowledge can lead to significant positive impacts on both the environment and society,” Dr. Awi said.
Australia’s funding for her research has enabled the team to visit remote communities and gain a deeper understanding of the impacts of climate change on food security and livelihoods. They collected women’s testimonies that highlighted how extreme weather events, such as rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns, have reduced staple crop yields like sweet potato and coffee. Another way women in Kerowagi apply traditional knowledge is by using the Albizia amara tree (known locally as Marmar) as a natural agricultural calendar. “Women rely on the flowering cycle of the Albizia amara tree to determine the best time for planting certain crops. When this tree blooms, they know it signals the optimal period for sowing food crops that will yield a successful harvest,” said Dr Awi.
Dr Awi’s research highlighted how aspects of traditional knowledge could be an important complement to Western scientific knowledge in mitigating the effects of climate change.
