How a Coconut Becomes a Shield Against Climate Change
Indigenous Peoples have been contending with destructive weather like cyclones, flooding, and drought for centuries -- as the development community has sometimes belatedly discovered. Nine of DM2009's winners are projects that tap into that special know-how to help indigenous communities survive the increasingly destructive weather that climate change brings.
Indigenous know-how is invariably practical and low-cost -- like the winner from 
Samoa. That project would build three traditional Samoan houses -- called fale, for "open house" -- as models of "safer, accessible, resilient, and sustainable housing."
Here's how a fale is built, as described in a fascinating story on the East Asia & Pacific website of the World Bank: The structure is "lashed and tied together with afa -- an organic sennit rope. Afa is made by twisting together the fibers of dry coconut husks. The lashing work is traditionally done by elderly men while women make the thatch for the domed roof of the fale – either from coconut palm leaves or sugar cane." (Photo after recent rain shows 80-year-old Pousea, ceremonial house in Samoa that was restored by DM winner Afeafe o Vaetoefaga Pacific Academy of Cultural Restoration, Research, and Development two years ago.)
Modern house
s in Samoa, a so-called "improvement" over tradition, were built from steel-reinforced concrete and corrugated metal, as the web story says, but those structures couldn't withstand cyclones, and their materials became deadly flying objects that were responsible from some of the storm-related fatalities.
Samoan Tafaoimalo (Loudeen) Parsons (photo at left) describes her project in this DM2009 video on YouTube.
Check out all the indigenous project winners here.
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This article is similar to a
This article is similar to a piece I recently read regarding the “reinvention” of indigenous irrigation systems in Bolivia. While the nation has benefited significantly from various aspects of modernization and globalization, Bolivia found that its agricultural sector was not experiencing the same results. Attempts to utilize modern technologies to alleviate the effects of climate change seemed promising, however Bolivia has found itself consistently plagued by bouts of flooding and drought.
Just recently, however, hope has been found in the form an Incan irrigation system that was used hundreds of years ago. This system, which was constructed by the indigenous peoples of Bolivia, managed to accommodate the specific needs of the terrain. Trial periods of this method have been implemented and it seems to not only function better within this environment, it is more sustainable than its "modern" counterpart.
The case of Samoan houses highlights this concept. While modern machinery and technology undoubtedly contribute to various aspects of our lives, they are not the answer to all of the world's problems. Systems that has been passed down through generations of families, and techniques that are indigenous to their nations may have a great deal to offer, and do not necessarily need to be modernized. In fact, the mere fact that these techniques are still in existence should be an indicator of their efficiency. If we can assume that the evolutionary process eliminates those trends that are expendable or frivolous, techniques that have survived for generations are most likely worth noticing.
traditional technology
Traditional technology works fine with traditional land use and traditional population density. Bolivian hillsides have that have been stripped of native forests have sheet runoff, erosion, and flooding. Allowing the vegetation to regrow would prevents this, but the wood in the forests is needed for charcoal and cooking to support the dense populations of the present day. Modern populations of both Samoa and Bolivia would be hard pressed to provide for their people with traditional technology.
be interested to find out
be interested to find out what has become of this project, whether the 'idea' has been turned into 'action'. Is there some kind of accountability DM winners need to show, perhaps in the form of a report or similar? otherwise a few individuals just profited around $200,000!
Response to above post
Yes, there are progress reports that are submitted throughout the 2 year inplementation. They use to be posted on our old website and will be posted in our website in the near future.
Thanks for the reply, as a
Thanks for the reply, as a Samoan and a traditional builder I look forward to it.
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