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  4. COMPREHENDING BIOPHYSICAL CHANGES: A SEASONAL CALENDAR OF THE UPPER ALAI VALLEY, KYRGYZSTAN

COMPREHENDING BIOPHYSICAL CHANGES: A SEASONAL CALENDAR OF THE UPPER ALAI VALLEY, KYRGYZSTAN

File(s)
Kaziev_cornell_0058O_11149.pdf (5.78 MB)
SR_in_English_Non_Linear.pdf (6.95 MB)
SR_in_English_Linear.pdf (7.18 MB)
SR_in_Kyrgyz_Non_Linear.pdf (6.68 MB)
SR_in_Kyrgyz_Linear.pdf (6.79 MB)
Permanent Link(s)
https://doi.org/10.7298/pnvq-4c74
https://hdl.handle.net/1813/109661
Collections
Cornell Theses and Dissertations
Author
Kaziev, Daler Sultanalievich
Abstract

Seasonal calendars are a type of place-based local knowledge of annual phenological events (biophysical, and sociocultural events) that may contribute to our understanding of a particular region’s climate and seasonality. Small-scale farmers are impacted by climate change: fluctuations of annual temperature and precipitation. They rely on farming and herding within the seasonal limitations. Seasonal variability, especially in spring and fall, and the short growing seasons require accurate tracking of phenological events to achieve successful crop and livestock production. There is a need for ecological calendars that link multiple ecological and social systems to improve the ability of farmers and time farming and herding practices. As a result of the Belmont Forum-funded project titled “Ecological Calendar and Climate Adaptation in the Pamirs,” this study represents the seasonal calendar from the upper Alai Valley of Kyrgyzstan. Based on qualitative interviews among herders and farmers, we developed a seasonal calendar for the villagers and a team of transdisciplinary scholars. We conducted a workshop with 24 male informants in the Village of Sary Mogul, Kyrgyzstan, in 2016. We also interviewed 39 informants in 2017 (n= 19 males and 20 women). We validated these findings with 25 elders in 2018 (n= 3 females, 22 males). As a result, a revitalized seasonal calendar builds anticipatory knowledge that facilitates small-scale decisions in the context of seasonal variabilities. The social, cultural, historical, and ecological context was vital for re-contextualizing the ecological calendar of a particular people and place. Understanding the interrelationships between biophysical, and social-cultural events provided insights into how people utilized the calendar to inform their seasonal decisions. In order to further monitor the biophysical variables in the Alai Valley, I proposed further research recommendations.

Description
212 pages
Supplemental file(s) description: Seasonal Round with Linear Relationships in Kyrgyz, Seasonal Round with Non-Linear Relationships in Kyrgyz, Seasonal Round with Linear Relationships in English, Seasonal Round with Non-Linear Relationships in English .
Date Issued
2021-05
Keywords
Agropastoralism
•
Climate Change
•
Food Security
•
Kyrgyzstan
•
Phenology
•
The Alai Valley
Committee Chair
Kassam, Karim-Aly
Committee Member
Sethi, Suresh Andrew
Curtis, Paul D.
Degree Discipline
Natural Resources
Degree Name
M.S., Natural Resources
Degree Level
Master of Science
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International
Rights URI
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Type
dissertation or thesis
Link(s) to Catalog Record
https://newcatalog.library.cornell.edu/catalog/15049441

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