Climate Change and Gender Differential Impacts among Farmers in Tharaka-Nithi County in Kenya

Abstract

Aim: Climate change affects the livelihoods of all people irrespective of their gender but the poor are more negatively impacted. Among the poor, women are affected more than men because women have less access to resources required for climate change preparedness and adaptation. Women also have unequal participation in climate change adaptation decisions at the household, national and international levels. This inequality is compounded by the ‘unpaid’ triple tasks of women in the reproductive, productive and community fields that are often exacerbated during times of disasters such as droughts and famines. The objective of the study was to examine climate change gender differential impacts and adaptation strategies among farmers in Tharaka-Nithi County in Kenya. Methods: Data were collected through a survey that covered 289 households.  A combination of purposive and systematic sampling techniques was used to select the respondents. Data were also collected through key informants’ interviews, focus group discussions and secondary sources. Data were entered in SPSS Version 20 and analyzed through descriptive statistics (percentages, chi-squared and means). This analysis was based on the Moser analytical framework which structures data into who has access what resources, who makes what decisions, and who does what activity in regard to (reproductive, productive, and community activities). Results: The study found that women were affected by climate change more than men through increased burden of work and malnutrition. Results also revealed that men were more involved in climate change adaptation strategies such as soil conservation and tree planting because they had more access to land. Conclusion: The study concludes that climate change impacts are not gender neutral. However, the impacts are disproportionate with women being affected more than men. Recommendation: The study recommends a need to mainstream gender in climate change adaptation and mitigation endeavors in order to address the various inequalities. This can be done by incorporating a gender equity perspective in the process of designing climate change adaptation and mitigation policies, programmes, projects and activities.