CLIMATE CHANGE-RELATED DISASTERS AND RISK REDUCTION THROUGH INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE APPROACHES IN OSUN STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study focuses on people's risk reduction techniques in response to emerging disasters due to the constantly changing climatic conditions. Library and Archival data on disaster episodes in Osun State were sourced from selected libraries in Tertiary Institutions in the State. The study focused on communities with unique indigenous techniques and a history of consistent use for disaster management and risk reduction within the State. The study utilized an interviewing technique to gather and record participants' past experiences, followed by content analysis and an ethnographic summary of the gathered data. The study identified the type of disasters experienced in the study settings within the state. This included those originating from solid earth (geophysical), those caused by the occurrence, movement, and distribution of water on earth (hydrological), climate inclined like droughts and wildfires, weather conditions such as storms (meteorological) as well as those caused by exposure to living organisms and their toxic substances or diseases such as disease epidemics (biological). The study proved that indigenous knowledge systems are effective in helping communities manage and reduce the risk of disasters. This, in turn, explained why it was consistently used to avert calamities and alleviate their effects whenever they did occur.