Investigating Indigenous Technical Knowledge for Disaster Risk Reduction: A Case Study in Coastal Medinipur, India

This study investigates Indigenous technical knowledge (ITK) for disaster risk reduction (DRR) in coastal Medinipur, India, a region highly vulnerable to cyclones, tidal surges, and saline intrusion. The research examines how local communities perceive, practise, and sustain ITK amidst intensifying climatic and environmental hazards, and explores its potential integration with scientific and institutional approaches to strengthen resilience. Primary data were collected through 50 household surveys and 20 focus group discussions (FGDs) with farmers, fisherfolk, women, and elderly residents in disaster-prone villages. Methodologically, the study adopted qualitative and participatory techniques, including open-ended conversations and participatory storytelling, to elicit narratives of disaster experiences, coping strategies, and traditional practices. This approach highlighted both technical aspects, such as salt-tolerant crop selection, raised seed storage, housing adaptations, and experiential weather forecasting, and the cultural and intergenerational processes through which ITK is transmitted. The results confirm that ITK remains a vital system of resilience, embedded in livelihoods, housing, community cooperation, and recovery practices. However, modernisation, youth migration, and livelihood diversification are weakening its continuity, with many younger residents perceiving ITK as outdated. Despite this erosion, ITK continues to complement formal disaster management systems by enhancing local preparedness and adaptive capacity. The study concludes that hybrid models integrating ITK with scientific knowledge represent a promising pathway to inclusive and sustainable resilience in coastal regions, while recognising community agency as central to disaster governance.