Research Articles

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Browsing Research Articles by Subject "Agriculture"

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    ‘Dwete a Lango’: Lunar Timekeeping, Culture, and Sustainability in Northern Uganda
    (East African Nature & Science Organization, 2026-07-08) Agea, Jacob Godfrey; Eton, Marus
    In this paper, we examined the Traditional Lango Lunar Calendar (Dwete a Lango) as an indigenous knowledge system that historically guided agriculture, food security, environmental management, social organisation, and cultural practices among the Lango people of Northern Uganda. The study was motivated by the rapid erosion of indigenous knowledge resulting from westernisation, modernisation, formal education, globalisation, religious transformation, climate variability, and changing socio-economic conditions. Despite its historical significance in organising rural livelihoods and maintaining ecological balance, the Lango lunar calendar has received limited scholarly documentation and analysis. We adopted a qualitative ethnographic research design grounded in indigenous knowledge and cultural ecology theories. Data were collected through oral interviews, focus group discussions, and document review involving elders, cultural leaders, farmers, herbalists, historians, academics, and local government officials from selected districts in the Lango sub-region. Findings revealed that the calendar comprised thirteen lunar months, each linked to distinct environmental conditions, agricultural activities, food systems, rituals, hunting practices, ceremonies, and social behaviours. It also functioned as an indigenous meteorological system that enabled communities to anticipate rainfall patterns, schedule planting and harvesting, manage hunger periods, coordinate cultural events, and guide childbirth and child naming according to the lunar month. However, the study established that the use of the calendar has declined markedly, and in some areas disappeared entirely, owing to westernisation, climatic unpredictability, religious influences, youth disengagement, and weak intergenerational knowledge transmission. Nevertheless, important elements remain relevant for climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation, indigenous education, and cultural preservation. We conclude that revitalising the Lango lunar calendar could strengthen sustainable rural development, reinforce cultural identity, and enhance resilience through locally grounded knowledge systems. We therefore recommend systematic documentation, integration into educational curricula, promotion through community cultural revitalisation initiatives such as Itoogo me Lango, and supportive policies to preserve and sustain this valuable indigenous heritage.