A Gender-Based Analysis on Awareness of Climate Change and Adoption of Climate-Smart Agriculture: The Case of the Upper Gelana Watershed, South Wollo, Ethiopia

Abstract

In upper Gelana watershed of Ethiopia, this study investigates the ways in which gender roles impact attitudes toward and implementation of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices. The study used a concurrent mixed-methods design. In total, 150 randomly chosen homes participated in structured surveys to gather quantitative data, which was then analyzed using chi-square tests, descriptive statistics, and a Multivariate Probit Model (MPM) to take interdependent CSA adoption decisions into consideration. Focus groups and key informant interviews provided qualitative insights into the sociocultural norms, gender dynamics, and household decision-making. According to the findings, the most popular CSA practice was irrigation (30%), which was followed by inter-cropping (17.3%), drought-resistant crops (14.7%), soil and water conservation (19.3%), and better stoves (4.7%).The MPM found inter-dependencies among practices (ρ = .25–0.40, p < .05) and indicated land tenure security (β = .28–0.35*), NGO assistance (β = .42–0.50**), and training access (β = .61***) as important predictors of adoption. With the exception of drought-resistant crops, where gender was significant (β = .42**), ***, **, and * statistically significant at 1%, 5%, and 10% probability levels, respectively chi-square tests showed no significant gender differences overall (χ2 = 4.387, p = .495). However, qualitative results revealed enduring disparities: women’s adoption was restricted by social norms, restricted land rights, and dependence on unofficial networks, whereas men had easier access to loans, cooperatives, and extension services. The study comes to the conclusion that CSA adoption is influenced by gendered access and systemic injustices rather than just gender. For policy include encouraging integrated CSA packages, improving women’s access to credit and land tenure, and fortifying gender-sensitive extension services.