Climate change and changing water practices in Malawi: an ethnographic study
type: CreativeWork
description: Despite Malawi witnessing intensive impacts of climate change, there has been little interest on the adaptive capacities of communities, particularly around water. While there has been research on the impacts of climate on water, the focus has mostly centred on agricultural practices. Additionally, research attention has been given to the effectiveness of Water User Associations (WUAs) within climate-impacted communities, mainly from the perspectives of expert users and managers of water, leaving out the voice of the common person in the climate discourse. This research aimed to address this gap by placing communities at the centre of the climate crisis in Malawi. Rather than viewing water solely as a biological material with functions within sanitation and agriculture, this study emphasised its integral role in the lives of local communities. The main objective of the research was to understand the impacts of climate change on water practices in Malawi. Within this main objective, other objectives included understanding the evolving nature of human-water relationships and documenting the drivers behind such changes, along with their resulting impacts. Further, by exploring the effects of climate change on water practices, the research sought to gain insights into the adaptative strategies employed by communities in response to these impacts. Ultimately, the goal was to identify potential ways to support and enhance the communities’ capacity to adapt effectively to the challenges posed by the climate crisis. The research was framed within the ecology of knowledges approach which advocates for a reconciliation of indigenous and other knowledges. To effectively conduct the study, an ethnographic approach grounded in the Malawian – and predominantly sub-Saharan African – ethic of Ubuntu (I am because you are) was adopted. This research framework utilised participant observation as the main method of collecting data. Over a period of 9 months, I conducted observations i…
abstract: Despite Malawi witnessing intensive impacts of climate change, there has been little interest on the adaptive capacities of communities, particularly around water. While there has been research on the impacts of climate on water, the focus has mostly centred on agricultural practices. Additionally, research attention has been given to the effectiveness of Water User Associations (WUAs) within climate-impacted communities, mainly from the perspectives of expert users and managers of water, leaving out the voice of the common person in the climate discourse. This research aimed to address this gap by placing communities at the centre of the climate crisis in Malawi. Rather than viewing water solely as a biological material with functions within sanitation and agriculture, this study emphasised its integral role in the lives of local communities. The main objective of the research was to understand the impacts of climate change on water practices in Malawi. Within this main objective, other objectives included understanding the evolving nature of human-water relationships and documenting the drivers behind such changes, along with their resulting impacts. Further, by exploring the effects of climate change on water practices, the research sought to gain insights into the adaptative strategies employed by communities in response to these impacts. Ultimately, the goal was to identify potential ways to support and enhance the communities’ capacity to adapt effectively to the challenges posed by the climate crisis. The research was framed within the ecology of knowledges approach which advocates for a reconciliation of indigenous and other knowledges. To effectively conduct the study, an ethnographic approach grounded in the Malawian – and predominantly sub-Saharan African – ethic of Ubuntu (I am because you are) was adopted. This research framework utilised participant observation as the main method of collecting data. Over a period of 9 months, I conducted observations i…
author: Namusanya, Dave
language: eng
keywords: Climate change adaptation, Water, Malawi, Ethnography, Ubuntu, Climate change
date published: 2023-12-18
date modified: 2026-07-24T00:50:29Z
provider: Abertay University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Abertay University