Climate Smart Agriculture Global Conference: Gender and small scale climate-smart food systems;

1. Gender and small scale climate-
smart food systems: Role of Science
Mary Nyasimi, PhD
November 28, 2017

2. Introduction
• Women comprise approx 43% of
the agricultural labor force in
developing countries
• Gender gap exists found for
many assets, inputs and services
• Women’s involvement in small-
scale food systems is challenged
by many factors including socio-
cultural and climate change
• Impacts of climate change vary
by gender, region and season,
though harsher on women living
in already marginal conditions

3. Role of Science
• Science can address the gender dimension of in small scale
climate-smart food systems as women disproportionately
serve as agricultural labor while having limited access to
resources and climate smart technologies.
• Science can play a critical
role to ensure climate-smart
food system e.g., crop
varieties with improved traits
and optimizing the inputs
• To harness science for
climate smart food systems, it
is necessary to make the food
system itself more gender
responsive.

4. Role of Science
• Engendering scientific
research creates new
opportunities to
enrich and improves research
• Formulate specifically women
and gender related goals
separately from the general
goals, methods and activities
• Improving the collection of
gender disaggregated data
for climate-smart food
systems (production, harvesting,
processing, packaging, transporting,
marketing etc.)

5. Using Science for Engendered Climate
Smart Food Systems

6. Research and action agenda for
gender in climate smart food
systems
• How to encourage women to move into non-traditional roles
and opportunities in food systems/What incentives are
needed?
• How to improve women’s access to land and other
resources
• How to move women into more profitable value chains /
more profitable positions in the value chain
• What are the value chain priorities for women related to
climate change?

7. Research and action agenda for
gender in climate smart food
systems
• CSA Technologies and practices : are they suited to
women’s physiognomies, priorities and use?
• What is the role of women’s organizations? What is
women’s role in producer organizations? Does their
presence in leadership translate into benefits?
• Climate information – is it reaching women, and is it useful to
them?
• How can we support women’s position in red meat value
chains?
• What kinds of policy alliances work to integrate gender into
policy at different levels

8. 1 - Developing gendered
climate smart technologies
• No technology or practice (including CSA technologies and
practices) is gender neutral
• Impacts of CSA are not always gender-neutral in terms of labor
requirements, empowerment or economic benefits and costs
• Gender disaggregated research

9. Small Ruminants Livestock
Farming
• Partners in western Kenya are
disseminating sheep and goats to
women
• The improved breed of sheep and
goats are fast growing, and fetch
higher market prices
• Women have full control over the
small ruminants
• More women are adopting the small
ruminants because they are not
labor intensive and the production
costs are low.

10. 2 – Technologies that reduce
food loss
• Many women lack access
to ready markets and tend
to store their produce in
poor environments
• Strategies to minimize food
losses during production,
storage and transport is
important
Source: FAO, 2011
Agricultural losses in SSA across the value chain
• Science (and technology development) can provide low-cost
post-harvesting technologies targeting women

11. Example – Thresher
• Threshers can reduce
postharvest grain loss
from 4.87% to 0.01%
• Threshers can improve the
grain quality, labor
productivity
• Create employment
opportunities

12. Example – Women in dairy value
chains
• EADD (EA) did gender analysis to understand the roles,
priorities and constraints of men and women
• Strategies
§ Increasing access to assets that
women require to participate fully in
dairy activities and benefit
§ Increasing returns to assets by
increasing productivity and/or
improving access to market
§ Reducing risks and vulnerability
§ Farmers build milk cooling plants

13. 3 - Irrigation technologies…
• Availability of water is a critical input in small-scale climate
smart food systems.
• However, women farmers do not have access to water for
agriculture because of physical water scarcity or economic
water scarcity
• Irrigation technologies that enable women access water to
increase food production
• Women need access to low-cost and affordable drills,
renewable energy - powered pumps and technologies for
improved water efficiency

14. Irrigation technologies…
• Research & development of solar-
powered irrigation pumps feasible
with high value crops
• Affordable rainfall storage systems
are also a potential technology for
women
• Science data (gender/sex
disaggregated) on water availability
and efficiency will be crucial for
women.

15. Who owns irrigation Equipment?
Share of men and women that reported household ownership of asset
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Ethiopia, Men
(178)
Ethiopia,Women
(178)
Ghana, Men (19) Ghana, Women
(27)
Tanzania, Men
(43)
Tanzania,
Women (26)
self spouse self and spouse jointly Source: IFPRI-ILSSI Survey

16. 4 - Engendering ICTs…
• ICTs can support smallholder women farmers to access the
information and technologies that help build their resilience
to climate change.
• Science can help understand gender differences in
information use and prioritization
• Develop appropriate ICTs systems suitable for small-scale
women farmers

17. Example: Adoption of CSA
• Both female and
male are aware
and using CSA
interventions
• Women are just
as likely, or more
likely to adopt
CSA practices as
men – when
aware
CSA technologies and practices
%HH aware of and using CSA practices and
technologies
Male Female Total n (51)
Improved high yielding varieties
(HYVs)
53.1 46.9 96.1
Scientific weather forecasting 52.2 47.8 92
Efficient fertilizer use 52.3 47.7 86.3
Cover cropping 50 50 82.4
Improved stress tolerant varieties
(STVs)
54.8 45.2 82.4
Manure management 43.9 56.1 80.4
Terraces/bunds 51.3 48.7 78
Agroforestry 56.8 43.2 72.5
IntegrBoth female and male are aware
and using CSA interventions
Women are just as likely, or more likely
to adopt CSA practices as men – when
aware
ated pest management
45.9 54.1 72.5
Destocking 61.1 38.9 70.6
Crop residue mulching 51.5 48.5 64.7
Water harvesting 51.6 48.4 62
Composting 55.2 44.8 58
Improved feed management 61.5 38.5 51
Adoption of resilient livestock breeds 60.9 39.1 46
Traditional weather forecasts 38.1 61.9 41.2
Tree nurseries 63.2 36.8 37.3
No/minimum tillage 41.2 58.8 34
Source; Mungai et al. 2016

18. 5 - Engendering Big Data???
• Big Data can create new opportunities for gender responsive
climate-smart food systems – CIAT and partners in Colombia
Photo: N.PalmerData.path Ryoji.Ikeda-4

19. Summary
• Promoting and leveraging science to support women’s
participation in climate smart food systems…..Science for
Women
• Improving the collection of gender disaggregated data for
policy makers, development organizations (NGOs & CBOs)
• Making science responsive to the needs of women and other
vulnerable groups at different levels and integrating better
with women’s local knowledge systems

20. Thank you
m.nyasimi@cgiar.org
ccafs.cgiar.org