Journal of Ecosystem & Ecography
Open Access

Abstract

Climate change is intrinsically linked with environmental degradation which in turn has repercussion on biodiversity, water supply, food security, agriculture production and health, among other sectors. It therefore, poses a significant threat to the survival of most indigenous communities in Sub Sahara Africa in general and South-eastern Nigeria in particular. However, these people have close relationship with their environment and have developed strategies to adapt to the effects of climate change in a number of ways. The major aims of this work were to document the approaches which have enhanced the resilience of indigenous people of Izzi, Izhia and Ngbo communities in Ebonyi State to a number of key livelihood issues - food insecurity, hidden hunger, water resources management, and primary health care. Structured oral interview, focal group discussions, field survey to markets and communities were employed. Results identified divers socially integrated indigenous technological practices such as, the use of 32 underutilized crops belonging to fifteen (15) plant families and 13 wild edible fruits to cushion food insecurity and malnutrition, 10 community-conserved water storage areas, 3 protected forest reserve areas, 15 apicultural stands, and 23 different species of medicinal and aromatic plants for primary health care services. Others practices include non-timber forest products harvested for income generation, wildlife management, sustainable land use management, and seed banks conservation systems. Women were the major drivers. Analysis of some of these underutilized crops showed that they were good sources of micro-nutrients with varying potentials. There is a growing need to scale-up and scale-out some of these local technologies in these communities with national and international policy-making. This will go a long way in contributing to the realization of MDGs gains to poverty reduction, improved nutrition, health care delivery, and ensure climate change adaptation in Sub Saharan Africa.

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