An online Indigenous Knowledge Database on Climate Change Adaptation of Farmers in the Vietnam Mekong Delta

Abstract

Background and objective: For countries vulnerable to climate change as Vietnam, indigenous knowledge (IK) might assist in revealing the values of local people's adaptations to environmental stresses and potentially support decision-making. Despite IK can provide the adaptive capacity of local people's activities within environmental contexts, but it is rapidly vanishing. This study aimed to describe the documentation of IK associated with climate change adaptation of farmers in the Vietnam Mekong Delta (VMD).Methods: We focused on collecting and establishing online access to IK documents through collaboration between IK holders, public sector, collecting institutions, and researchers in the five agro-ecological zones of the VMD. An online IK database for storing IK documents has been designed and implemented based on the web application schema.Results: Through interviews, we gathered IK from farming practices that are well-adapted to climate risks such as floods, droughts, and saltwater intrusions as well as traditional knowledge being used to forecast weather, flood, and saltwater intrusion. The database for storing IK documents has been successfully deployed using free and open-source software. The database currently contains more than 260 IK documents, with their location on agro-ecological zones displayed on a web-based map.Conclusion: We have captured and provided an online access to IK on climate change adaptation of the farmers in the VMD. This research is expected as an initial strategy for long-term sustainable development of the agriculture system in this region.