Women and Youth as Drivers of Climate Information and Action in their Communities

Integrating women and young people in climate action projects is crucial for enhancing resilient agriculture. This approach improves not only the livelihoods of women but also of their households and communities.

According to Gender and social inclusion expert Eileen Nchanji, women are more vulnerable to climate change than their male counterparts because their livelihoods depend mainly on rainfed subsistence agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. They are often the first to experience severe climate shocks such as droughts and floods, yet they are expected to provide food, energy, and water for their households. Many men leave their spouses behind to seek better income opportunities elsewhere, leaving women to provide for the remaining household members and make decisions on resource use.  However, weather and climate information often does not reach this vulnerable groups, nor are they part of the decision-making processes that define what information is needed, by whom, when, and how it is used.

According to estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), women are responsible for more than 50% of food production worldwide, including up to 80% of food production in Africa. This highlights the critical need to include women in climate information services to improve their resilience and ensure the sustainability of food production and community well-being.

To address these challenges, the Alliance and its partners have been implementing the Enhancing Climate Resilience in East Africa (ECREA) Project in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania.

So far, as of June 2024, the project has reached 400 lead farmers and extension workers (direct beneficiaries), 50% of whom are vulnerable women and young people, with face-to-face training on Weather and Climate Information Services (WCIS) co-designed and driven by women and youth farmers. Additionally, the training has been part of the project’s efforts on interventions to ensure gender equity and social inclusion for women and young people across the bean value chain.

Gender and social inclusion expert Eileen Nchanji, together with the implementation team, has been at the forefront of ensuring that women and young people are not only beneficiaries but also co-designers and drivers of climate information at the household, community, and regional levels. The team has emphasized the need for increased women’s leadership and participation, ensuring that women are empowered to make decisions and influence policy and institutional change. To achieve effective gender inclusion they have advocated for the collection of gender-disaggregated data to better understand and address needs.