THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND CLIMATE ADAPTATION: A NIGERIAN PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

This paper examined the vital, yet often undervalued, intersection of Traditional Knowledge (TK) and climate change adaptation in Nigeria. It argued that Indigenous and local knowledge systems, refined over generations, offered a critical foundation for building socio-ecological resilience to contemporary climate impacts. Using the doctrinal method of research, the analysis highlighted practical applications in agriculture, where indigenous seed varieties and phenological indicators enhanced food security; in water management, through traditional harvesting techniques; and in settlement planning, via climate-responsive architecture. However, this intersection faced significant challenges, including the erosion of intergenerational knowledge transmission, the novel intensity of modern climate shifts, and the frequent marginalization of TK within formal policy frameworks. The paper concluded that the most effective and sustainable adaptation pathway lay not in privileging one knowledge system over another, but in fostering a synergistic, co-productive approach. It called for the deliberate validation, documentation, and integration of TK with scientific insights into national and local adaptation planning, ensuring strategies were both culturally grounded and scientifically informed.