Benefit of Women in Climate Change Adaptation: The Case of SIMLESA
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This document summarizes a presentation on integrating gender considerations into climate change adaptation strategies. It discusses how climate change impacts men and women differently and how gender influences vulnerability. It then outlines the Sustainable Intensification (SI) approach of the Scaling Improved Legume-Maize Systems in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA) project, which promotes new crop varieties, production practices, and soil conservation techniques. Key points made include: 1) SIMLESA uses a gender framework to ensure technologies are designed for both women and men, and they participate equally in trials and demonstrations; 2) Its approach strengthens inclusive scaling of SI options through gender-sensitive agricultural innovation platforms and value chains; and 3)
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Benefit of Women in Climate Change Adaptation: The Case of SIMLESA
- 1. Southern Africa Regional ‘Beating Famine Conference’ 14 – 17 April, 2015, Lilongwe, Malawi Benefit of Women in Climate Change Adaptation: In The Case of SIMLESA Rehima Mussema
- 2. • Climate change affects agriculture and food production in complex ways • Climate change affects men and women differently • The inequitable access to resources, information, less decision power as well cultural rules and norms constrains women ability to take action on climate change • Therefore, gender is a critical factor in understanding vulnerability to climate change Introduction
- 3. Adoption of new techniques and technologies will have to complement preventive strategies. technological developments (new crop varieties, drought/diseaseresistant/early matured, new breeds, etc) production practices (change use of chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides, diversification and irrigation changing planting dates, planting tree, mulching, etc). soil conservation, and new/improved land use and management practices Intro……
- 4. • Introduction of new technologies • Sustainable intensification (SI) options: maize-legume cropping systems that show considerable promise in boosting productivity and helping reverse the decline in soil fertility CA that minimize soil disturbance and maintain permanent organic matter soil cover SIMLESA
- 5. Key Message Sustainable intensification offers viable options for beating famine Sustainable intensification approaches need to place women and men farmers on equal terms - at the center of R&D SIMLESA Framework offers lessons for gender responsive technology testing, scaling, and capacity strengthening
- 6. Challenge Gender gaps and lags in food security and in adoption of SI options due to socio-economic Failure to recognize the salience of women in male headed households – who influence decisions on jointly managed plots Gender gaps in participation in agricultural value chains
- 7. Principles for SIMLESA Gender Framework Recognize that men and women may face different constraints and opportunities Acknowledge that men and women may have different needs, preferences and aspirations Men and women may be impacted differently by SI options
- 8. Gender Responsive Sustainable Intensification R&D in SIMLESA Understanding and designing technologies for women Strengthening capacity for gender responsive R&D Strengthening inclusive scaling options
- 9. Understanding and designing technologies for women Providing equal opportunities to participate in on station evaluations, to host on farm trials, demos and field days Asking the right questions and using inclusive approaches in gathering evidence SIMLESA Framework for Gender Responsive SI Strengthening Inclusive Scaling Options Fostering inclusive agricultural IPs that: Bridge gender knowledge gaps Integrate women and men equally in value chains Ensure equal access, effective participation, and leadership Strengthening gender capacity through coaching and training teams and individuals working on above
- 10. Lessons It is possible to be intentional – and ambitious – about gender equitable adoption of SI options to improve human wellbeing In some contexts, some SI options compound drudgery for women (Kandiwa et al forthcoming) Understand women in poor farm households benefited from a decrease in labor pressure (Maguzu and others 2007). Equitable scaling outcomes do not happen by accident, they have to be nurtured (Misiko, 2014)
- 11. Thank you for your time!
Editor's Notes
- Sustainable intensification options (maize legume intercropping – including agroforestry options, maize legume rotations, conservation tillage, soil and water conservation, improved maize and legume varieties, use of animal manure and inorganic fertilizers) hold promise for increasing productivity levels especially in contexts where pushing land frontiers is not possible. Men and women farmers adopt these options as ‘sets’, and not as single technologies. In order to beat famine through SI, we need to take advantage of all the talent and resources – including women and young people – so that productivity levels go up for everyone, at the same time, at the same pace. SIMLESA offers a framework for fostering gender responsive SI systems – and I will show you how we are doing this….
- Lots of empirical evidence showing that women are less likely to adopt SI options at the same level as men (see Kassie et al 2014; Fisher and Kandiwa 2014); and less likely to adopt technologies at the same historical moment as men (see Kandiwa et al 2015); and less likely to effectively participate in agricultural value chains (see Rubin et al 2009). For agricultural value chains, the idea is that women should not be seen just as ‘adopters’ of SI technologies, but also, participants in all processes along the value chain eg as entrepreneurs involved in transportation, marketing, processing, utilizations, financing etc. Too much emphasis on female headed households forgetting that the majority of women reside in male headed households and that farming in African is predominantly a cooperative –family enterprise. In contexts where women seem ‘invisible’ in the public domain, they play huge roles in intrahousehold decision making on technology adoption.
- This acknowledgement make us be conscious of the impact of social norms on individual agency. Therefore, in SIMLESA we are more ambitious – and more intentional about developing INCLUSIVE approaches that reach men and women of different social backgrounds (socio-economic status, age, ethnicities, regions, education, religion etc)
- In order to address known gaps and realities, the SIMLESA framework integrates gender in all research, technology testing, scaling, and capacity building activities.
- This slide captures what we are trying to do in SIMLESA especially in Objective 1, 2, 4 (IPs Establishment and Strengthening Ip Gender), and 5 (M&E). The pink box captures our approach in Objective 1 (Objective 1 Meta-Analysis Value Chain Analysis, Risk Analysis) & 2 (Participatory Varietal Trials, CA gender research, Lead Farmers, Demos and Field days) the purple bubble captures what we are trying to do in Objective 4 – ie gender is being taken care of in packaging information, in fostering equitable knowledge sharing eg through exchange visits; in making sure women effectively participate in agricultural innovation platforms; and in making sure that organizations that receive competitive grants commit to our gender equity values. Additionally, for capacity building we have gender focal points – tailored trainings for teams etc – developing tools and guidelines that make it possible for people to do everything in bubble pink and purple in ways that are equitable.
- Evidence from Zimbabwe (Kandiwa, forthcoming) shows that digging basins for SW conservation is predominantly done by women in Bikita and Zvishavane during the dry season when the ground will be very hard to till; Through the work of Kassie, Shiferaw, Mekuria, Ndiritu , and ASARECA compiled case studies– we understand the contexts, drivers, and consequences of gender gaps in sustainable intensification adoption.