How does gendered vulnerability influence the adoption of sustainable livelihood interventions among farming communities in the context of climate change?
Subquestions
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How do gender-specific roles and responsibilities in farming communities affect the ability of women and men to access and adopt sustainable livelihood interventions in response to climate change?
read all How do gender-specific roles and responsibilities in farming communities affect the ability of women and men to access and adopt sustainable livelihood interventions in response to climate change?
Key finding
Women and men adapt differently to climate change based on their existing gender roles, responsibilities, and access to resources. Gender intersects with factors such as age, education, household power dynamics, and social status in shaping adaptation strategies. Women are more concerned about climate change but face greater constraints in accessing resources, financial support, and agricultural training. Their adaptation strategies tend to focus on maintaining household food security and livelihood diversification, while men engage in strategies that maximize economic gains.
Short summary
This systematic review examines gendered perceptions of climate change and adaptation strategies in agriculture across multiple countries. Women and men adopt distinct approaches to climate adaptation due to differences in access to resources, social networks, and local institutions. Women commonly engage in structural adaptations like water harvesting, well-digging, and trench construction, while men focus on preventive measures such as conservation agriculture and flood control. Financial strategies include asset sales and credit-taking, with managerial adaptations varying by gender: women prioritize crop diversification and fertilizer use, while men focus on livestock feed and conservation. Socio-cultural adaptations include meal reduction and reliance on wild plants for food security. Migration patterns also differ, with more women engaging in circular migration for livelihood support while maintaining agricultural productivity.
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What are the key barriers faced by women farmers, like limited access to resources, education, and decision-making power, that make their adoption of climate-resilient practices lower when compared to men?
read all What are the key barriers faced by women farmers, like limited access to resources, education, and decision-making power, that make their adoption of climate-resilient practices lower when compared to men?
Key finding
Climate change significantly affects both men’s and women’s livelihoods and well-being, but its impacts are more severe for women. Women face structural barriers that limit their ability to adopt climate-resilient practices, including restricted access to land, financial resources, education, and agricultural technology. Additionally, women encounter greater difficulties in accessing and utilizing weather and climate information services compared to men. These gendered constraints result in women having fewer opportunities to implement effective adaptation strategies, ultimately exacerbating their vulnerability to climate change.Short summary
This review explores the barriers that prevent women from effectively adopting climate-resilient practices in comparison to men. Gendered inequalities in access to land, education, credit, technology, and decision-making power significantly limit women’s capacity to adapt to climate change. Social norms and caregiving responsibilities further restrict women’s mobility and ability to engage in agricultural training or off-farm work. Even when legal frameworks exist to protect women's rights, implementation gaps and contradictions between customary and formal laws continue to inhibit women’s access to productive assets. Additionally, women’s underrepresentation in decision-making processes at both local and national levels further weakens their ability to influence climate adaptation policies. Addressing these challenges requires targeted interventions that improve women’s access to financial services, land rights, and capacity-building programs to enhance their resilience. -
How do differences in land ownership and control over agricultural assets between men and women influence the adoption of sustainable livelihood strategies in farming communities?
read all How do differences in land ownership and control over agricultural assets between men and women influence the adoption of sustainable livelihood strategies in farming communities?
Key finding
Gender inclusivity is essential to ensuring that the differentiated needs of all gender groups are considered in planning and implementing climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. Inclusive approaches leverage the unique knowledge and skills of both men and women to create effective responses to climate change. However, achieving gender inclusivity remains a challenge due to entrenched societal norms, power imbalances, disparities in education, and unequal access to resources, all of which marginalize climate-vulnerable groups.
Short summary
Agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is highly vulnerable to climate change due to its dependence on biophysical and socio-economic conditions. Addressing the impacts of climate change requires gender-inclusive strategies in agriculture and natural resource management. Predefined gender roles and socio-cultural constraints disproportionately affect women, children, and young people, making them more vulnerable to climate-related risks. Women generally have less access to land, financial resources, and agricultural inputs, which limits their ability to adopt sustainable livelihood strategies. In contrast, men, who typically control land and larger agricultural assets, have greater economic stability and access to climate adaptation mechanisms. Women rely more on small-scale livestock farming, seed preservation, and home gardening to sustain household food security. However, their limited access to critical resources such as fertilizers and credit services hinders their resilience-building efforts. -
What role does gendered access to financial resources, such as credit, subsidies, or insurance, play in shaping the capacity of women farmers to invest in and adopt sustainable adaptation interventions?
read all What role does gendered access to financial resources, such as credit, subsidies, or insurance, play in shaping the capacity of women farmers to invest in and adopt sustainable adaptation interventions?
Key finding
The adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) options contributed to women farmers’ economic empowerment by increasing their incomes. Women were the primary recipients of financial support for purchasing small livestock, such as chickens and goats. Access to credit provided financial protection against climate-related shocks and helped rural communities secure income and productive assets without resorting to costly coping strategies, such as selling assets, which could compromise long-term resilience.
Short summary
The adoption of CSA options contributed to women farmers' economic empowerment by increasing their incomes through higher yields enabled by CSA knowledge, training, and access to quality seeds and livestock from the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR). CSA practices included diversified agriculture (intercropping, multiple cropping, agroforestry), native livestock production, seed saving, and the use of alternative fertilizers such as animal manure and green leaf manure. Access to financial resources, including the Village Development Fund and Savings Groups (VDFSG), provided financial security against climate-related shocks, allowing women to safeguard their income and assets without resorting to distress sales. -
How do cultural norms and social structures in farming communities create gender-specific vulnerabilities that affect the willingness or ability of women and men to engage in climate-smart agriculture?
read all How do cultural norms and social structures in farming communities create gender-specific vulnerabilities that affect the willingness or ability of women and men to engage in climate-smart agriculture?
Key finding
Men and women adapt differently to climate-smart agriculture (CSA) due to cultural influences that shape labor roles, decision-making power, and access to resources. Conservation agriculture (CA), a key component of CSA, has both positive and negative impacts on labor demands for men and women. While CA can reduce workload in some areas, it also limits food security options, affecting women’s capacity to manage household nutrition. Gender norms further determine who adopts CSA techniques, with men often taking over lucrative farming opportunities, reducing women's autonomy over land and crop choices.
Short summary
Cultural norms and social structures significantly impact the adoption of CSA by men and women. The adoption of CA, for example, has reduced the time women spend on weeding but has also introduced new labor-intensive tasks, such as manure transportation and the use of heavy farming tools. Women in Zambia, for instance, described the ‘chaka’ hoe as physically demanding, limiting their ability to perform other domestic responsibilities. Additionally, CA discourages intercropping, which is essential for food security in many farming households. This shift has forced women to spend additional time and resources securing alternative food sources. While some mechanization efforts, such as the use of the ‘Magoye’ ripper, have helped alleviate labor burdens for women, cultural constraints still limit their full participation in CSA adoption. -
What strategies are being used to integrate gender considerations into the design and implementation of sustainable livelihood interventions, and how effective are they in addressing the unique vulnerabilities of women in farming communities?
read all What strategies are being used to integrate gender considerations into the design and implementation of sustainable livelihood interventions, and how effective are they in addressing the unique vulnerabilities of women in farming communities?
Key finding
Adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) strategies contributed to women farmers’ economic empowerment by increasing incomes, improving access to productive resources, and enhancing decision-making capacities. Despite these improvements, undernutrition rates remained high in rural, low-income settings due to persistent gender inequities in access to land, income, and agricultural inputs. Effective gender-responsive strategies include financial support, access to stress-tolerant seeds, and women’s participation in cooperatives, which have shown promise in reducing women’s vulnerabilities in farming communities.
Short Summary
Women farmers adopted various CSA practices to enhance climate resilience, including diversified cropping (intercropping, multiple cropping, crop rotation, and agroforestry), native livestock production, and the use of organic fertilizers. Financial support, such as adaptation funds for purchasing livestock and seeds of stress-tolerant varieties, improved women’s agricultural productivity. Participation in producer cooperatives, savings groups, and credit programs further strengthened their economic position and decision-making capacity. While these interventions helped improve women’s income and food security, challenges remain, including gender-based labor burdens and inadequate household support for childcare and food preparation.