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The need for effective gender responsiveness in the face of climate change in Uganda

About IITALeading partner on agricultural research for development in Africa• 18 Countries, 4 Regional Hubs

Hosted by• Government of Uganda• In collaboration with NARO

Staff• >100 national staff and students• 10 international scientists

Major achievements with partners• Control of crop pandemics

• Cassava Mosaic Virus• Cassava Brown Streak• Banana Xanthomonas Wilt

• Breeding banana, cassava, soybean…• Climate change adaptation• Agricultural investment planning

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Outline

• Climate change adaptation and CSA

• Gender responsiveness and food security

• Research results• What farmers and practitioners say• Results from review of policy

documents• Results from budget analysis

• So what do we do?

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Gender integration for food security in the face of climate change

• Climate Change adaptation and CSA

• Belief that men and women are equal

• Gender integration is a criteria for accessing climate finances

• More efficient systems/holistic approach

• Improving food & nutrition security

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Gender responsiveness means…

Policies sufficiently integrate gender

Gender provisions in policy & practice address gender

structural issues & strategic needs

Implementation strategies design clear

strategies for addressing gender & provide an

implementation budget

Implementation of adaptation options

Exhaustively capture men’s, women’s and youth priorities in policy statements.

Gender analysis identifies women and men priorities, opportunities & constraints across scale sand guides the design of interventions

Incorporate gender indicators in monitoring and assessment of programme implementation

land ownership/access, access to credit, information, extension advice, markets, & constraining cultural norms

…that we are addressing gender inequalities at all levels

Spell out steps that will be taken to address the identified gender issues

Interventions address men, women and youth priorities

Reward appropriately planned gender response

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Gender and policy analysis research

Gathering evidence

Desk review of policies, strategies &

implementation plans

Focus group discussions with men & women

farmers

Expert interviews with policy

formulators across scales

Analysis of district and sub-county budgets

2012-2016

Methodology

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Different ways of doing gender

“We encourage joint decision making in the household”

“We make sure to include 30% of women in our projects and meetings”

“Why are we not implementing in most cases all of these (climate change) processes? It’s because we don’t analyze them

up to the activities to allocate them budgets.”

…practitioner testimonies

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Climate change impacts have a gender connotation

• Drought

• Food shortage

• Men migrate

• Increased domestic burden

• Domestic conflicts

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Climate change impacts have a gender connotation

• Limited extension

• Men attend training

• Women work at the farm

• Not much can change

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Climate change impacts have a gender connotation

• Drought

• Poor harvest

• No capital to do agri-business

• Goats and cows belong to the husband => cannot sell

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Reviewed documents

1. Poverty Eradication Action Plan 2004/5-2007/82. The Plan for Modernization of Agriculture3. National Adaptation Plan of Action 20074. The Agricultural Sector Development Plan

2010/11-2014/155. National Climate Change Policy 20156. Climate Change Costed Implementation Strategy

20137. The National Land Policy 20138. The National Policy on Plant Genetic Resources

for Food and Agriculture 20169. National seed policy 201610. The Seeds and Plant Act 200611. The Uganda Gender Policy 200712. The Uganda National Environment Management

Policy 2014 Fine draft13. The National Agriculture Policy 201314. The Uganda Forestry Policy 200115. National Policy for the Conservation and

Management of Weland Resources 1995

16. National Policy for Disaster Preparedness and Management 2010

17. The Uganda Climate Smart Agriculture Programme 2015-2025

18. Uganda Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) 2015

19. National youth policy 200120. Uganda Wetland sector strategic plan 2001-201021. The Local government development planning guidelines

201422. National Development Plan I (2010/11-2014/15)23. National Development Plan II 2015/2016 -2019/202024. Uganda's Decentralization Policy25. District Five Year Development Plans for 2011-2015 and

2016-202026. District Annual Action Plans 2012-2015

Summary observations

Use of unclear terminology

Use of gender stereotypes

• “Gender” and “Women” are used interchangeably.• Overlooks men’s adaptive capacity to climate change.

• Women portrayed both as “vulnerable” and “key agent of change” rather than a group that can contribute to economic development.

Low intersectionality

• Uganda is home to 56 ethnic groups – yet policies present low intersectionality of gender with other social divides.

Insufficient consideration to gender structural

constraints

Poor harmonization of

policies

• Fail to comprehensively address gendered power dynamics at different levels and the structural constraints reinforcing vulnerability.

• Women do not have effective ownership of land – affects adoption of practices and access to credit.

• Several disengagements between gender approaches in different policies.

• Lack of harmonization between sectors and of an implementation plan to comprehensively engage gender issues.

Ineffective decentralization

• Insufficient budget, training and staffing are main barriers.• Little engagement with gender at district level apart from

quota system.

Summary observations

Gender gaps exist at different levels

Policy level District Local level• Gender = women.

Women= vulnerable group

• Lack of gender & social differentiation; & cross- sector coordination

• Gendered power dynamics at different levels not addressed

• Different gender approaches in different policies

• Engagement with gender restricted to quota system

• Inadequate budget & technical skills

• Women – a vulnerable group

• Lack of clear strategies to address gender

• Women do not have effective ownership of land

• Limited access to credit & alternative options

• Women participation further reduced by limited information & technical skills

• Limited decision-making power

Gender as a cross-cutting issue: no one’s responsibility; no budget

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Gender integration in policy documents

Grade Level of Gender IntegrationGrade 1 No reference to gender issues Grade 2 Gender mentioned in overall objectives but absent from subsequent

implementation levels Grade 3 Gender clearly presented as one relevant entry point in relation to main

objective, but absence of clear road map leading to implementation Grade 4 Gender included in action plan, but absence of clear earmarked resources for

implementation Grade 5 Gender included in document from objective down to action plan, with clear

resources identified for implementation.

Policy documents were systematically scrutinized for their degree of gender integration and were given specific grades

Source: Gumucio and Tafur Rueda (2015)

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Extent of gender integration

Grade 5 scored by some development & action plans but budgets do not address gender needs

Majority of development plans include gender in action plans but do not integrate budgets

Majority of annual action plans make no reference to gender

Majority of climate change & agriculture policies do not have a clear road map for implementation

Climate

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Agric s

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C policies

Agric s

ector p

olicies

Envt,

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ater p

olicies

National

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Risk M

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es

Developmen

t plan

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Annual action plan

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Sector d

evelopmen

t plan

s

Gender

policies

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40 1 2 3 4 5

Thematic area

Num

ber o

f doc

umen

ts

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Gender integration across levels

1 2 3 4 50

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

Uganda

National

District

Sub-county

Gender integration grades

Num

ber o

f doc

umen

ts

National Level- no gender budget

District – budget??• Very small• Does not address gender

inequalities

Sub-county – Level• Many documents integrate

gender• Few documents indicate budgets• Budgets not addressing

inequalities

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Gender integration grades

Increasing gender integration in policy documents

Impact on ground?

Policy Document Year Gender National Policy for the Conservation and Management of Weland Resources 1995 1995 1The Plan for Modernatization of Agriculture 2000 2The Uganda Forestry Policy 2001 2001 2National Youth Policy 2001 2001 3Uganda Wetland Sector Strategic Plan 2001-2010 2001 1Poverty Eradication Action Plan 2004/5-2007/8 2004 4The seeds and plant Act 2006 2006 1National Adaptation Plan of Action 2007 2007 1The Uganda Gender Policy 2007 2007 4National Development Plan I (2010/11-2014/15) 2010 4The Agricultural Sector Development Plan 2010/11-2014/15 2010 3National Policy for Disaster Preparedness and Management 2010 2010 4National Draft Climate Change Costed Implementation Strategy 2013 2012 3The National Land Policy 2013 2013 3The National Agriculture Policy 2013 2013 3The Uganda National Environment Management Policy 2014 Fine draft 2014 4The Local Government Development Planning Guidelines 2014 2014 3National Development Plan II 2015/2016 -2019/2020 2015 4Uganda National Climate Change Policy 2015 2015 3The Uganda Climate Smart Agriculture Programme 2015-2025 2015 2Uganda Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) 2015 2015 3National Seed Policy 2016 2016 3

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2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015 2015/2016 0.00

0.10

0.20

0.30

0.40

0.50

0.60

0.70

0.80

0.90

1.00

Districts (4)

EstimateActual

Financial year

Aver

age

% g

ende

r bud

get

2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015 2015/2016 0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1.20

1.40

1.60

1.80

Subcounties (12)

EstimateActual

Financial Year

Aver

age

% g

ende

r bud

get

• < 0.9 % of budget is planned for gender• < 0.2 % of budget is allocated to gender

• < 1.6% of total budget is planned for gender• < 1.2% of total budget is allocated to gender

Gender budget vs Total budget

• Available budget - Celebrating Women’s Day & Youth Councils

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What should be done to appropriately address gender inequalities and enable

food security?

IITA is a knowledge partner – How do you want us to support you?

What specific roles should MPs play?

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Further Reading

1. Gender and Climate Change in Uganda: Effects of Policy and Institutional Frameworks: https://cgspace.cgiar.org/rest/bitstreams/56517/retrieve

2. Gender and climate change adaptation in Uganda: insights from Rakai: https://www.ifpri.org/publication/gender-and-climate-change-adaptation-uganda-insights-rakai.

3. Gender perceptions of climate change impacts and in adaptation practices: https://cgspace.cgiar.org/rest/bitstreams/35869/retrieve

4. Gender responsive approach to CSA: practice guide: https://cgspace.cgiar.org/bitstream/handle/10568/73049/CSA%20Practice%20Brief%20Gender.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

5. Policy brief from the March 2015 gender conference in Paris: https://cgspace.cgiar.org/rest/bitstreams/60479/retrieve