GGCA Gender and Climate Change Training Manual - Women's ...

Case study 3
Gender-sensitive strategies for adaptation to climate change:
drawing on indian farmers’ experiences
“If the rain comes in October (too late for
ground nut) we can still sow horsegram. The
cropping pattern is decided in consultation
with the women, who always like to have some
land for food crops.”
To what extent does a farmer’s gender
influence his or her response to a climate
shock? Is it possible that the impacts of climatic
shifts on food security are different for men and
women?
140
“The food (millet) earlier was more nutritious,
we consumed more milk and dairy products,
and our diet was more balanced.”
Focus Group Discussion with men and women farmers
(average land-holding 2 acres, rainfed)
Mittamalapalli Village, Madanapalle District, Andhra
Pradesh
Men and women in rural Andhra Pradesh,
India are observing changes in the climate
conditions they have come to know through
years of farming; they report that temperatures
are hotter and rainfall patterns are changing.
At the same time and possibly related to this,
the food they now eat is not as nutritious as it
once was.
During conversations with these farmers
about how they are coping with climatic
changes, it becomes clear that men and
women have different stories to tell. Men speak
of migrating while women tell of new activities
taken on at home. These accounts suggest
that gender roles – the behaviours, tasks and
responsibilities a society defines as “male” or
“female” – shape the actions of women and
men farmers in response to climate shifts.
Little work has been done to answer these
questions about the connection between
gender roles and climate change adaptation,
despite major international efforts to
understand and reduce vulnerability of the poor
and especially farmers to the risks of longterm
climate change. Methods are needed to
document what men and women know about
climatic shifts and how they cope to ensure the
food security of individuals and households.
Tools are needed to incorporate the knowledge
and needs of both women and men into
strategies for coping with long-term change.
In collaboration with three Indian institutions
(Samatha Gender Resource Centre (SGRC),
Acharya N G Agricultural University (ANGRAU),
and Suzlon Foundation], the Gender, Equity
and Rural Employment Division (ESW) of FAO
is conducting a research project in Andhra
Pradesh to test the hypothesis that men and
women are diversely affected by and cope
differently with climate variability.
Locally engaged consultants with experience
in the state and the ecosystem challenges are
carrying out fieldwork in three districts collecting
qualitative and quantitative data through