3 Religious and Cultural-Spiritual Attributions of Climate-Driven …
41
Connections Between Religion and Agriculture
Agriculture is identified as one of the growing competitive sectors around the world
due to the rising demand for agricultural products (Ridha and Wahyu 2017; Sachitra
and Siong-Choy 2019). Agricultural scientists have failed to exploit the potential
of religious and spiritual traditions for advancement in agriculture. A study in the
Bamenda Grassfields of Cameroon concluded that the delay in agricultural modernization is caused by failing to see the potential of how spiritual beliefs and religion
can contribute towards agricultural advancement because it was never a key focus in
any scientific study (Lang 2018).
In the PICs, agriculture, livestock husbandry, and fisheries are some of the most
common practices providing rural households with food security and supplementary
income (Iese et al. 2020). People’s involvement in, and behaviours towards, these
activities can also be explained by experience, belief, and knowledge of traditional
or modern science, which may likewise influence their attitude towards the factors
affecting their agriculture, livestock, and fishing activities. Havea et al. (2018) found
that the spiritual wellbeing of the people in Tonga became negatively affected by
climate change. While the study found that people viewed climate change impacts as
a form of God’s punishment, their faith also served as a means of adaptation, especially using the Bible scriptures as information or instruction. It is therefore common
to hear people claim that climate-related extreme events are explainable by God’s
action, which they believe is the cause of all disasters and climate variations (Janif
et al. 2016; Smiley 2019). Some scientists contend that limited understanding and
knowledge of scientific information is one of the main barriers to effective climatechange adaptation in rural communities because of the incapability of the rural population to interpret the information disseminated (Mackay et al. 2019; Phuong et al.
2018). In another view, it was believed that only God could reverse the negative
impacts thanks to maintained faith and prayer (Havea et al. 2018).
This paper reports on a study in rural communities on Malaita, Solomon Islands. It
aims to investigate how religion influences farmers’ perceptions of climate change in
the To’abaita region of northern Malaita. The study evaluates two main perceptions
among farmers—one where the negative impacts on crop production are attributed
to nature and the will of God, and the other, where impacts are viewed as induced
solely by human actions including cultural behaviour and sorcery.
Methodology
Study Site
This study was conducted in the two communities of Malu’u and Sikwafata in the
To’abaita region of Malaita Island (Fig. 3.1). Malu’u has an estimated population
of 4,410 comprising around 900 households with an average household size of 4.9.
41
Connections Between Religion and Agriculture
Agriculture is identified as one of the growing competitive sectors around the world
due to the rising demand for agricultural products (Ridha and Wahyu 2017; Sachitra
and Siong-Choy 2019). Agricultural scientists have failed to exploit the potential
of religious and spiritual traditions for advancement in agriculture. A study in the
Bamenda Grassfields of Cameroon concluded that the delay in agricultural modernization is caused by failing to see the potential of how spiritual beliefs and religion
can contribute towards agricultural advancement because it was never a key focus in
any scientific study (Lang 2018).
In the PICs, agriculture, livestock husbandry, and fisheries are some of the most
common practices providing rural households with food security and supplementary
income (Iese et al. 2020). People’s involvement in, and behaviours towards, these
activities can also be explained by experience, belief, and knowledge of traditional
or modern science, which may likewise influence their attitude towards the factors
affecting their agriculture, livestock, and fishing activities. Havea et al. (2018) found
that the spiritual wellbeing of the people in Tonga became negatively affected by
climate change. While the study found that people viewed climate change impacts as
a form of God’s punishment, their faith also served as a means of adaptation, especially using the Bible scriptures as information or instruction. It is therefore common
to hear people claim that climate-related extreme events are explainable by God’s
action, which they believe is the cause of all disasters and climate variations (Janif
et al. 2016; Smiley 2019). Some scientists contend that limited understanding and
knowledge of scientific information is one of the main barriers to effective climatechange adaptation in rural communities because of the incapability of the rural population to interpret the information disseminated (Mackay et al. 2019; Phuong et al.
2018). In another view, it was believed that only God could reverse the negative
impacts thanks to maintained faith and prayer (Havea et al. 2018).
This paper reports on a study in rural communities on Malaita, Solomon Islands. It
aims to investigate how religion influences farmers’ perceptions of climate change in
the To’abaita region of northern Malaita. The study evaluates two main perceptions
among farmers—one where the negative impacts on crop production are attributed
to nature and the will of God, and the other, where impacts are viewed as induced
solely by human actions including cultural behaviour and sorcery.
Methodology
Study Site
This study was conducted in the two communities of Malu’u and Sikwafata in the
To’abaita region of Malaita Island (Fig. 3.1). Malu’u has an estimated population
of 4,410 comprising around 900 households with an average household size of 4.9.