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Based on an evidence synthesis of gender and climate-smart agriculture
In a situation characterized by rapid climate change and widening inequalities, gender plays a central role in determining an individual’s capacity to cope with climate shocks and adapt to changes. Faced with persistent gender gaps, which are a consequence of deeply embedded gender and social norms, women in agrarian societies continue to be challenged by lower agricultural productivity, and limited access to productive resources and services and assets. This in turn negatively affects their adaptive capacity and renders them disproportionately vulnerable.
Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) provides tools and technologies that can sustainably increase agricultural productivity and incomes, help people adapt, and build resilience to climate change while reducing or removing greenhouse gas emissions. However, women have not been able to widely benefit from CSA. Evidence on potential barriers, challenges and opportunities is thus critical to rethink how CSA can help women effectively tackle climate change and build their resilience.
INSIGHTS FROM THE EVIDENCE
• Most existing CSA programs do not consider the grassroots-level gendered disparities during program design and implementation that consequently constrain them from reaching their full potential.
• While there is abundance of diagnostic research establishing women’s disproportionate vulnerability to climate change, there is little research and evidence on the impacts of CSA and effectiveness of actions and solutions.
• Gender disparities in CSA adoption primarily stem from intrahousehold differences between women and men’s preferences for agricultural practices, access to technology and information, social norms, and institutional constraints.
• A lack of gender-disaggregated data is a significant gap affecting CSA program design and implementation.
• Inadequacy of gender-responsive climate finance in agriculture limits the possibilities for CSA to reach women.
• The private sector plays a crucial role in proliferating CSA; however, it falls short on integrating gender systematically in its programs.
• The lack of gender-disaggregated data on impacts of CSA constrains how practitioners can tweak CSA interventions to be more gender responsive.
• While adaptation measures garner much attention, context-appropriate mitigation interventions also need to be prioritized.