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Understanding Gender and Climate
Change
Edidah Ampaire, IITA
Joash Mango, ICRAF
And others from IFPRI CIAT ILRI
May 14, 2014

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Project Background
• Study is part of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change,
Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS)
• Little existing research on intra-household differences in climate change
effects, adaptation strategies
• This study aimed to enhance the understanding of gendered climate change
perceptions, impacts, and adaptation and coping strategies within selected
CCAFS sites
• Better understand how climate change impacts women and men, separately
and jointly, in terms of their vulnerabilities, well-being and assets

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Data pooled
The survey included sections on:
• Agricultural and livestock decision-making
• Awareness and adoption of climate smart agriculture practices
• Perceptions of climate changes
• Climate shocks and coping
• Personal values
• Access to information sources

Why do a “Gender and Climate Change” Study?
• Households do not pool all resources or make decisions as single unit
• Men and women have differential levels of access to various household
resources
• Men and women have different preferences for how household resources
are used
• Men and women make different decisions on the allocation of resources
among household members
• As an intra-household survey, this survey targeted male and female
decision-makers in the same household
• Note that these differences have important implications for both
production and consumption decisions

Site description
Nyando Wote Rakai
Climate Climate
change/variability;
annual r/f 900-1200;
droughts, floods
increased with negative
impacts on agriculture
Characterized by high
variability in annual
and seasonal rainfall
that amounts to 520
mm per year
Rakai has variable
rainfall, high to low
(>1400 - <1000);
increasing climate
variability ; persistent
droughts & vulnerable
dry land
Socio-economic High poverty rates,
leads to labor shortages
due to poor health and
nutrition status
majority of them
being smallholder
farmers
Land ownership
contentious as few
people hold land
titles.
Farming and
Livelihood
Mixed rain fed crop-
livestock and largely
subsistence farming
Rain-fed farming
systems comprise a
blend of crop-
livestock systems
Rain fed annual and
perennial smallholder
farming systems

Nyando, Kenya Wote, Kenya Rakai, Uganda
Agroforestry
Terraces/bunds
Water harvesting
Irrigation
Zai/Planting pits
Crop residue mulching
Composting
Manure management
Effic. use of fertilizer
Improved HYVs
Improved STVs
No/min tillage
Improved grain storage
Improved stoves
Improved feed management
Destocking
Cover cropping
Tolerant livestock
Rangeland management
IPM
Rates of Awareness of the Different CSA Practices: Kenya and Uganda
Blue: Men more aware
Pink: Women more
aware
White: No significant
difference

Nyando, Kenya Wote, Kenya Rakai, Uganda
Agroforestry
Terraces/bunds
Water harvesting
Irrigation
Zai/Planting pits
Crop residue mulching
Composting
Manure management
Effic. use of fertilizer
Improved HYVs
Improved STVs
No/min tillage
Improved grain storage
Improved stoves
Improved feed management
Destocking
Cover cropping
Tolerant livestock
Rangeland management
IPM
Rates of
Adoption
(among
those
aware of
practices)
Blue: Higher rate of
male adoption
Pink: Higher rate of
female adoption
White: No significant
difference

Who is adapting to climate change?
Have made
adaptations Men Women
Nyando 64% 57%
Wote 94% 96%
Rakai 83% 76%

How are they adapting?
Women Men
Nyando,
Kenya
Soil and water Conservation Planting trees on farm
Change crop variety Change crop variety
Change planting date Change planting date
Change crop type Change crop type
Water harvesting Soil and water conservation
Planting trees on farm
Wote,
Kenya
Change crop type Soil and water conservation
Soil and water conservation Change crop variety
Change planting date Change crop type
Change crop variety Planting trees on farm
Planting trees on farm Change planting date
Rakai,
Uganda
Increase land in production Planting trees on farm
Planting trees on farm Change crop type
Set up food storage facilities Increase land in production
Change crop type Change crop variety
Soil and water conservation Water harvesting

Women Men
Nyando,
Kenya
Not enough money Don't know what to do
Don't know what to do Not enough money
Not enough information
about climate change Don't see the need
Not enough labor to
implement changes Not enough labor
Don't see the need to make
changes
Not enough information about
climate change
Think the change might fail
Wote,
Kenya
Don't know what to do Don't know what to do
Don't see the need Not enough money
Not enough money
Need to see it being
implemented by neighbors
Not enough labor Think the change might fail
Rakai,
Uganda
Don't know what to do Not enough money
Not enough money Don't know what to do
Don't see the need Not enough labor
Not enough labor
Not enough information about
climate change
Land being used by a more
productive activity
Why are
they not
adapting?

Nyando Wote Rakai
Men Women Men Women Men Women
Government
Extension Workers
42 40 99 98 67 30
NGOs 64 68 68 85 68 31
Community
Meetings
63 38 98 97 45 24
Farmer
organizations
13 36 10 29 36 12
Agriserve providers 7 16 18 68 40 13
Family members 79 93 99 96 73 52
neighbors 94 82 99 99 96 91
Newspaper 27 6 11 2 34 1
Cell Phones 28 6 2 2 12 6
Farmer Field Days 11 8 41 56 12 6
Do you have access to climate or agricultural advice from the following sources?
Red: >20 point differences between men and women Pink: Female Greater Access

Most Useful
Sources of
Agricultural
and Climate
Information
Nyando
Men
Nyando
Women
Wote Men Wote
Women
Rakai Men Rakai
Women
1 Radio Radio Government
extension
Government
extension
Neighbor Traditional
Knowledge
2 Neighbors Family Neighbors Community
meeting
NGO Radio
3 Community
meeting
Neighbor Community
meetings
Radio Governmen
t Extension
Neighbors
4 Traditional
knowledge
NGO Radio Farmer field
day
Own
knowledge
Family
5 NGO Community
meeting
Family Agriservice
provider
Family NGO

Observed Climate Shocks in the Past 5 years
Nyando Wote Rakai
Men WomenMen WomenMen Women
Flood 17 42 1 0 2 2
Droughts 64 50 99 99 70 88
Storm 2 12 0 0 21 13
Erratic
Rainfall
22 6 9 3 1 2
• Bigger differences in Nyando and Rakai; less in Wote
• In Nyando, men report observing more droughts while women observe
more floods

Nyando Wote Rakai
Men Women Men Women Men Women
Drought
impact
48 43 96 89 72 77
Flood
Impact
17 50 0 1 20 21
Impacts of
shifts in
rainfall
patterns
32 35 70 78 78 66
Decline in
rainfall
46 16 98 90 70 70
Predicted Impacts of Future Climate Changes

Wote Participation in
decisions related to:
Inputs Weeding
Crop
managem
ent
Crop Use
Income
Use
Average
Men 76 68 80 61 65
Women 49 80 53 79 73
Difference 27 -12 29 -18 -7
Maize
Men 81 57 82 51 31
Women 44 80 49 61 27
Difference 38 -22 33 -10 4
Fodder
Men 61 51 65 46 43
Women 30 53 33 53 42
Difference 31 -2 33 -7 1
Mangos
Men 85 83 87 67 75
Women 18 47 15 53 56
Difference 68 36 72 14 19
• How complex are
agricultural
decisions?
• Do men and women
participate in
different types of
decisions?
• Does it vary across
crops?
• See some patterns in types
of decisions, but depends
on crops
• Men and women
participate in many
decisions
Yellow box: Women report a higher percentage of participation in decision-
making

Rakai Participate in
decisions related to
Inputs Weeding
Crop
Management
Crop use Income
average
Men 95 95 95 96 94
women 94 98 95 98 93
difference 1 -3 0 -2 1
Maize
Men 54 54 41 56 50
women 69 74 18 70 36
difference -15 -20 23 -14 15
Bananas
Men 39 57 57 34 38
women 41 82 79 85 47
difference -1 -25 -22 -50 -9
Groundnut
Men 36 37 21 42 42
women 71 81 18 75 42
difference -35 -44 3 -33 0
• Different
patterns that
emerge here
• More
participation in
input decisions
• Some
categories are
roughly equal
• Context
matters!

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Key Messages
-Once aware, women seem more likely to adopt these CSA
practices
-Wide variation in access to information
-Seems to suggest that both men and women are making
adaptations, but mainly farm based and input related
-Some patterns in terms of agricultural decisionmaking, but it varies
by crop
-Participation by men and women in most agricultural decisions