NEWS:

13 Sep, 2016


Extension workers under Gender and climate change training.
Climate change has affected a vast majority of Malawians more especially those living in rural areas. The impacts of climate change are disproportionately affecting the poor and most vulnerable people including women. Despite the numerous interventions by the government of Malawi and non-governmental organizations in mainstreaming gender issues in policies and plans with regard to climate change, a huge gap still exists in research and policies on the gender dimension of adaptive capacity and how rural farmers transit from being vulnerable to being resilient to climate change.

Realizing this gap, a group of researchers from the Lilongwe University of Malawi and Natural Resources (LUANAR) are implementing a project titled “Framework for Enhancing Adaptive Capacity of Female Farmers to Climate Change” with financial assistance from the Capacity Building for Managing Climate Change (CABMACC) Programme.
According to Dr. Tasokwa Kakota, principle investigator of the project, there is lack of gender analysis on how the interventions have either reduced or increased household’s or individual’s adaptive capacity. “Many studies have documented how climate change impacts affect vulnerability of rural livelihoods, however, gender disaggregated data of these impacts are few especially in Malawi”. Said Dr. Kakota. She added that different policies and interventions have been developed to address issues of adaptation to climate change in agriculture, food security and other sectors that are affected by climate change, however analysis of these policies in relation to gender transformation is missing.

Recently the project spearheaded a baseline study in Phalombe, Nkhotakota and Dowa in order to document preferences for adoption and dis-adoption of Climate Smart Agricultural technologies (CSA) among male and female small holder farmers, the information channels and tools that are used for disseminating CSA technologies, and to determine the level of adoption of CSA technologies among male and female smallholder farmers whist establishing the level of adaptive capacity among male and female smallholder farmers and the capacity of lead farmers and extension workers in providing extension services for enhancing adaptive capacity. The baseline also Identified training needs among lead farmers and extension workers.

The study concluded that both male and female farmers have low capacity to adapt to climate change but, adaptive capacity of female farmers from female headed households is very low compared to their counterparts in male-headed households. The study also noted that although there are some technologies that adapt to climate change, the preference and adoption depends on immediate benefits and amount of labour, resources and time to implement the technologies. Low adoption of CSA technologies was attributed to the gaps in knowledge and skills and the associated financial and labour costs for implementing the technologies.

Dr Kakota elaborated that the project has been designed to enhance adaptive capacity of female smallholder farmers to climate change through a holistic approach that will address power relations, agency and structures among others. She further explained that the objectives of the program are: to develop a framework that will enhance adaptive capacity among female smallholder farmers, enhance capacity of extension workers and lead farmers in disseminating Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies and to develop information channels that will increase access to CSA technologies and other practices that enhance adaptive capacity.

The Programmes Coordinator, Dr David Mkwambisi, stressed the importance of integrating gender with climate change arguing that women are the dominant group in agriculture as such enhancing their knowledge and skills in climate change adaptation will help prevent major losses in agricultural production brought about by climate change. “In the fight against climate change the programme is not just tackling gender but all important aspects such as Livestock, Fisheries, Soil Fertility, Forestry and Renewable energy”. Said Dr. Mkwambisi.

CABMACC is a Norwegian government funded programme that seeks to promote the adaptation and mitigation against the impacts of climate change in Malawi. The programme is coordinated by LUANAR’s Programme Coordinating Office.


Written by Christie Kang’ombe