This report from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) consolidates existing academic and policy research around climate resilience, water security, and gender (see Box 1), and presents new evidence from Malawi and Ethiopia. Researchers used primary and secondary evidence to explain how women and men in rural areas are differently affected by water insecurity. They analysed how gender and poverty mediate access to and control of water and other resources, and what this means for women’s and men’s opportunities and livelihoods, particularly in the face of climate variability. The report finds that in many contexts, women are disproportionately negatively affected by water insecurity associated with climate variability. The report identifies three areas where gender focused programming needs to address the unique vulnerabilities of women to water insecurity:
- Women are often at the pinch point of waterrelated tasks in the home and on the farm, with
pressure intensifying around seasonal periods of scarcity in many developing countries. - Compared to men, women may have less access to or control of assets that can be used to buffer against the effects of rainfall variability (for example, the equipment, land, and access rightsneeded for small-scale irrigation). Without access to other productive resources and with limited participation in decision-making processes, women cannot fully benefit from AWM investments.
- Women often have fewer opportunities to pursue off-farm work or migrate to urban areas as
a temporary coping strategy for seasonal food and income shortages, or for shortages caused by droughts and floods. In rainfed areas, during the lean season or when harvests fail, migration provides an option to find food and employment. However, social norms, limited assets, and fewer marketable skills often mean women are less able than men to exploit off-farm opportunities. Female-headed households are therefore particularly vulnerable to climate shocks.
Download: : http://www.odi.org/publications/10355-gender-agriculture-and-water-insecurity
