How female (and male) farmers are changing their practices in the face of a changing climate in Kenya, Uganda and Senegal

Patti Kristjanson

World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF)

Presentation at IFPRIJan 2016

Patti Kristjanson

CCAFS-initiated intra-household gender-climate change study in Kenya (2 sites), Uganda (2 sites), Senegal (and recently Bangladesh & Colombia)

Builds on ILRI’s comprehensive, plot-level farm characterization survey : https://dataverse.harvard.edu/dataverse/CCAFSbaseline

Same questions of man (n=200) and woman (n=200) in each household/site

One key objective: Understand the differences in awareness and adoption of improved agricultural practices by men and women

An intra-household study

Photos: CCAFS

Patti Kristjanson

The IFPRI/CIAT/ICRAF/ILRI-developed intra-household gender and CC-focused modules include:

Preferences and use of agricultural and climate informationAccess to creditDecision-makingGroup membershipRisk managementAdaptation strategies/practicesClimate smart practicesPerceptions of climate changeImpacts of climate changeValues and cognitive processes

Research with: Q. Bernier, C. Kovarik, E. Bryan, E. Haglund, R. Meinzen-Dick, C. Quiros, C. Ringler, M. Rufino, S.

Silvestri, J. Twyman. Survey leaders: Edidah Ampaire, Joash Mango, Yacine Ndourba, Piet Van Asten. Available at: https://dataverse.harvard.edu/dataset.xhtml?persistentId=hdl:1902.1/22584

Components

Photo: V. Atakos, CCAFS

Patti Kristjanson

This presentation focuses on the following sites: Nyando, western Kenya;Wote, central-Eastern Kenya; Rakai, south-central Uganda; Kaffrine, southern Peanut Basin, Senegal; (200 women, 200 men), each site ≈ 1600 individuals

For adaptation planning, to address the following questions:

Are individuals aware of different agricultural (including climate-smart) practices? And if so, have they adopted them?

If respondents report having observed changes in climate, have they made changes in their agricultural practices to protect themselves, their families, or their communities? If so, which ones? If not, why not?

Bernier, Kristjanson, Bryan, Meinzen-Dick, Ringler. In process. Who is taking up climate-smart agricultural practices and why? Evidence from women and men in Kenya, Uganda and Senegal

Where and why?

Patti Kristjanson

What practices? Some examples

Longer-term benefits – more transformative changes•Agroforestry •Terraces and bunds •Water harvesting •Soil and water conservation activities•Planting pits•Change in animal species

Short-term benefits – more incremental changes•Changing planting dates•Changing crop variety•Increase amount of land under production•Destocking•Change field location•Change fertilizer applications

Photo: Arame Tall, CCAFS

Bernier et al. In process. What does it take to see transformative adaptation? Evidence from men and women in sub-Saharan Africa.

Top five changes made by men and women to adapt to climate change in Kenya

0 20 40 60 80 100

Water harvesting

Changing planting date

Changing crop type

Planting trees on farm

Changing crop variety

Soil and water conservation

% of respondents reporting changes in response to climate change

Men Wote

Women Wote

Men Nyando

Women Nyando

Patti Kristjanson

Analysis addresses the questions:What helps explain awareness of the different practices? If aware, what influences adoption?

Heckman 2-stage model:

1st stage: Probability of Awareness = fn (age, sex, access to info sources, land size, assets, spouse awareness, motivations)

2nd stage: Adoption = fn (land ownership, decision-making power, innovativeness, group memberships, trust, gender decision-making, education, age, assets, credit access, farm & off-farm income, climate info access, climate shock experience)

Methods

Gender differences in awareness of practices - Senegal

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Zai/Planting pits

Integrated pest management

Improved stress tolerant varieties

Water harvesting

Disease tolerant livestock

Composting

Terraces/bunds

Cover cropping

Improved high-yielding varieties

Rangeland management

Improved feed management

Crop residue mulching

Improved grain storage

No/minimum tillage

More efficient use of fertilizer

Manure management

Improved stoves

Irrigation

Agroforestry

Men Women

Patti Kristjanson

Contact with/Access to:Extension agents: shows up a significant for a few practices in a few sites, but is surprisingly limited influence, especially on long-term practicesAgri-service providers: Kaffrine – seeds, manure mgmentFarmers’ organizations: Kaffrine – terracing, water harvesting; Rakai – water harvesting

So, conventional sources of agricultural and climate-related information are not yet significantly increasing awareness of many CSA practices

Key findings – What is influencing Awareness?

Photo: ILRI

Patti Kristjanson

Radio – Kaffrine – irrigation, agroforestry, fert, manure mgment, crop residue incorporation; Wote – irrigation, compost; Rakai – seeds; Nyando – seeds

Cellphones are still not helping increase awareness of CSA practices

If your spouse is aware, are you? For most practices in the Senegal site, yes; but this is the case for only a few practices in the Kenya sites

Key findings – Factors influencing Awareness, cont’d

Photo: www.sandbox.maumbile.com

Patti Kristjanson

Land tenure: plot ownership not showing up as important

HH income matters for some practices in each site, but share of off-farm income doesn’t, with a negative influence on some practices

Household size (labor) matters for some practices in each site

Female credit access: Wote – water harvesting, irrigation, manure; seeds; Nyando: fertilizer; Rakai – composting

Female % assets – positive influence on uptake of composting and crop residue management in Wote; Agroforestry and water harvesting in Rakai and Kaffrine

Key findings – What influences Adoption of 11 CSA practices ?

Patti Kristjanson

Innovativeness – associated with water harvesting in Nyando; terracing in Wote; stress-tolerant varieties in Kaffrine; irrigation and terracing in Rakai

Ability to make decisions – Agroforestry, no till: Rakai; no till: Wote

Group memberships – composting: Nyando; water harvesting: Rakai; crop residues: Kaffrine

Access to weather information – +’ve for some practices in all sites

Key findings – What influences Adoption, cont’d

Patti Kristjanson

Implications - 1

Awareness of CSA opportunities is important but insufficient to date, so it will be key to support to projects and programs that:•link local radio and TV stations and providers of agricultural knowledge and climate information•Work with farmer’s and other groups (e.g. religious groups, women’s groups) and agri-service providers to better reach women

• Support agricultural knowledge platforms that bring together these various groups and take advantage of new ICT-based opportunities (via cellphones, television (e.g. Shamba Shape Up), social media)

• Support innovative farmer-led learning and ag extension approaches Photo: Reboot

Patti Kristjanson

Implications - 2

Adoption of improved practices remains low in large part due to institutional challenges facing all food system actors, but women farmers in particular – continuing anti-women biases in ag services and information; lack of supporting infrastructure, and collective action challenges in general (not just gender norms)

Its time for new research approaches that reach, and learn together with,more farmers, especially women (e.g. text-based targeted questions, crowdsourcing, farmer-led innovation approaches, etc.)

Photo: CCAFS

Photo: World Bank