INFORMING COMMUNITY BASED

PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH ON

GENDER AND ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE

VARIABILITY

Moushumi Chaudhury1, Patti Kristjanson1, Florence

Kyagazze2, Jesse Naab3, and Sharmind Neelormi4

1 CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change,

Agriculture, and Food Security (CCAFS)

2 Makerere University, Uganda

3 Savannah Agricultural Research Institute, Ghana

4 Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh

Why Focus on

Gender and

Agriculture?

45% of the

labor force in

agriculture in

the developing

world is

comprised of

women

(FAO 2010-11)

Background

• Gender and Climate Change Research in Agriculture and Food Security for Rural Development training guide focusing on (1) climate analogues, (2) weather information, and (3) climate smart agriculture practices

• Participatory Action Research (PAR) tool

Data Collection

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S

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R A K A I

I S I N G I R O

R u m a

L a k e

S a n g a

N k o n i

N o m b i

M w e z a

R a k a i

L w e n g o K i z i b a

K i n o n i K y a n j a

M a s a k a

B u k o t o

K a s a s a

B u r a m a R u g a g a

B i z e r a

R u h i r a

G a y a z a

N y a n g a

L w a n g a

K a s o z i

L w a n b a

R u g a g a

N a t e t e

K a k u t o

B i k i r a

L u s a k a

K i b i r a

K i f u t a

Z z i m w e

K a b a l e

M a l o n g o M b i r i z i

M a k o n d o

K i r i m y a

K i r u m b a

K i r e t w a

B u g a n z a

K a s u m b a

K a b i n g o

K i g a n d o

B u y a m b a

K a g a m b a

M a g a b b i

K y o t e r a

L w e k u b a

K y a n j o j o

K a b u w o k o

N a k i y a g a

M u k o k o t e

R u k u k u r u

K a r i t i m a

L w a m a g w a K a s a m b y a

K a m u k a l o

K a t e t e r o

M u t u k u l a

K a l i s i z o

A k e i r u n g u

B w a l u m u l i

R w e s i r a b o

L y a n t o n d e

G a m u g u n g u

N y a m i k u y u

K a t u n g u r u

L w a b i r i b a

S a n g o B a y

K y a m a g a n d a

K a n y a r i e r u

K a b u r e g e y a

N y a m i y o n g o

K i n y a b w i l u

K y e n a n g a z i

K y a k u d d u s e B u y a g a B a y

D u m u P o i n t

D u w a f u B a y

K a n a b u l e m u

N y a b u s h e n y i

M i z i n d a B a y

K a g e r a R i v e r

R i v e r K a g e r a

L a k e K a r u n g a

L a k e N a b u g a b o

L a k e V i c t o r i a

B u s u n g w e I s l a n d

M u s a m b w a I s l a n d

K y a b a s i m b a P o i n t

L a k e K i j a n e b a l o l a

L a k e K i j a n e b a l o l a

M u s a m b w a T w i n I s l a n d

(1) Climate Analogues: Case of Ghana

Analogues by Temperature Analogues by Precipitation

Adaptation through mobility and exchange

of information

• Communication Lessons:

• Farmer to farmer exchanges

through the use of climate

analogues should be

communicated as a positive

learning opportunity for

farmers.

Photo: women’s resource map in Ghana taken

by Jesse Naab

Understanding Mobility For Knowledge

Exchange

• Why travel? • Women: to primarily collect

water, visit medical centers, trade and accompany their children to school.

• Men: To learn about different agricultural practices

• Sharing information is key!

• Factors Determining Mobility • Women: Distance to a

neighbouring village and cultural barriers

• Men: Men do not face any hindering factors to travel except limited financial resources may not allow them to access transport.

• Lessons Learned • Farmer-to-farmer visits will be

more challenging and problematic for women due to restricting gender roles than for men, and for the elderly compared to younger people

• For those unable to travel, more innovative means of communicating adaptation strategies needs to be explored • Cell phones

• Films

• Announcement/notices in public places

(2) Adaptation Through Climate

Information

• Communication Lessons

• Presenting visual symbols to

discuss the weather may not

help. Instead, reading a

forecast and then discussing it

may be more effective.

• If visuals are to be used,

training on how to interpret

them needs to be provided.

Photo: weather symbols in Uganda taken by

Florence Kyazze

Channels and Information Provided • Communication Channels for

Daily Forecasts • Informal indigenous knowledge

(IK) regardless of social differentiations • Men: IK & radio

• Women: IK

• Female youth: IK & radio

• Male youth: radio

• Type of information requested

• Men: rainfall info to plan farming activities

• Women: When to travel; conduct household chores, and plan farming activities

• Youth: When to plan farming activities

• Most Effective Method of Communication: • Radio

• Public Places

• Lessons Learned • Weather information is

primarily based on indigenous knowledge

• Ownership of communication technology

• Much work still needs to be done by information service providers on how to transfer seasonal information across gender and age groups

http://ccafs.cgiar.org/our-work/research-

themes/integration-decision-

making/linking-knowledge-action/gender-

climate-change

Photos: left image: CIAT, right image: Steve Mann