Exploring the local knowledge of farming and pastoral communities in relation to climate change challenges in Ethiopia: a systematic review

Farming and pastoral communities in Ethiopia are vulnerable to climate change impacts and they encounter several barriers when choosing adaptation strategies. Despite their widespread local knowledge of climate change adaptation, this knowledge is insufficiently documented and underutilized in academic research and policy frameworks. This review aimed to assess the local and indigenous practices addressing climate change and the barriers influencing the selection of adaptation strategies by farming and pastoral communities. The review was carried out following the ROSES guidelines that include formulating research questions, screening articles, and synthesizing the findings. A total of 1963 articles were originally identified from the Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases. Of these, 32 articles met the inclusion criteria and were selected for analysis. The results document local/indigenous agronomic and pastoral practices such as crop diversification, soil and water conservation, and seasonal movements in addition to various forms of weather prediction. The analysis indicates that there are large regional disparities in the attention from the research field given to local practices. The vast majority of the studies were undertaken in the Oromia, the SNNPR, and Amhara regions, despite the nationwide impact of climate change. About one-third of the studies featured global collaboration, while two-thirds centered on national collaboration. Key factors influencing adaptation strategies include socioeconomic, institutional, environmental, informational, and cognitive barriers. Additionally, the review identified gaps, such as the underutilization of plant and animal indicators, as well as various barriers that restrict adaptation efforts, suggesting areas for further research.