Climate Change Adaptation, Risk Reduction and Indigenous Knowledge Based Resilience: A Case of Bonda Tribal Women in Odisha

Indigenous or tribal peoples’ institutions, rights, and privileges often  go unacknowledged. Additionally, Climate Change makes gender inequity, a major contributor to the suffering of women from indigenous population. Though the tribal women contribute significantly to both traditional and non-traditional forms of employment, with unpaid caregiving, and maintaining food security, they frequently experience prejudice both within and outside of their communities. The present chapter is a case study of the vulnerable tribal group in Odisha, the Bonda. The study aims to document the best practices carried out by the tribal women of this indigenous group. It focuses on the ways employed by them to preserve natural resources and the techniques they employ to mitigate the Climate Change challenges. The chapter is based on qualitative research. The findings are derived from primary survey conducted in Malkangiri district of Odisha. Data has been collected from interviews and focus group discussions with the Bonda tribal women. This study shows that these women have employed their indigenous knowledge in reverting the precarious consequences of climate change and steered the environment protection towards their favour. Their farming methods have evolved with the natural world.