GENDER CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD SECURITY IN GRASSROOT COMMUNITIES.
Collective tree planting in one of our grassroots women groups in Budondo. Jinja District.
The agency of rural female farmers is essential for enhancing agricultural productivity and realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including ensuring food security (SDG 2) and addressing the perils of climate change (SDG 13). Despite significant strides in addressing gender inequalities over the years, rural women are still among the most marginalized groups in society and are particularly vulnerable to current and future climate change and food insecurity. Given these close relationships, the response to climate change vis-à-vis the agricultural sector should therefore take into account gender dynamics and be gender-responsive. In most parts of the world, women play a major role in agricultural production, a critical component of food security – women farmers bring to bear valuable knowledge in seed selection, vegetative propagation and the reproduction of plants and animals. A growing body of evidence in international development establishes that gender equality at the household and community levels leads to superior agricultural and development outcomes, including increases in farm productivity and improvements in family nutrition. In most parts of the world, women play a major role in agricultural production, a critical component of food security – women farmers bring to bear valuable knowledge in seed selection, vegetative propagation and the reproduction of plants and animals. A growing body of evidence in international development establishes that gender equality at the household and community levels leads to superior agricultural and development outcomes, including increases in farm productivity and improvements in family nutrition. Agriculture-specific data similarly shows strong correlation between women’s empowerment and agricultural productivity. Thus, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), if women farmers were given the same access to resources (such as land and credit) as men, national agricultural production could rise by 2.5 to 4 percent and the number of malnourished people could be reduced by 12 to 17 percent. Therefore empowering women to access and own land is a great way to mitigate climate change and food security. SLUM WOMEN’S INITIATIVE FOR DEVELOPMENT (SWID) capacity builds grassroots women and girls to practicing Smart Agronomic practices.  Climate-smart agriculture is a pathway towards development and food security built on three pillars: increasing productivity and incomes, enhancing resilience of livelihoods and ecosystems and reducing and removing greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere. Mitigation practices that farmers can choose from include tree planting/agroforestry, easy to assemble energy saving stoves, tree conservation and restoration, intercropping, conservation agriculture, crop rotation, integrated crop production, integrated crop-livestock management, Organic fertilizers and manures and improved water management.
Our work

Gender climate change & food security

The agency of rural female farmers is essential for enhancing agricultural productivity and realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including ensuring food security (SDG 2) and addressing the perils of climate change (SDG 13).

Despite significant strides in addressing gender inequalities over the years, rural women are still among the most marginalized groups in society and are particularly vulnerable to current and future climate change and food insecurity. Given these close relationships, the response to climate change vis-à-vis the agricultural sector should therefore take into account gender dynamics and be gender-responsive.

In most parts of the world, women play a major role in agricultural production, a critical component of food security – women farmers bring to bear valuable knowledge in seed selection, vegetative propagation and the reproduction of plants and animals. A growing body of evidence in international development establishes that gender equality at the household and community levels leads to superior agricultural and development outcomes, including increases in farm productivity and improvements in family nutrition.

Agriculture-specific data similarly shows strong correlation between women’s empowerment and agricultural productivity. Thus, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), if women farmers were given the same access to resources (such as land and credit) as men, national agricultural production could rise by 2.5 to 4 percent and the number of malnourished people could be reduced by 12 to 17 percent. Therefore empowering women to access and own land is a great way to mitigate climate change and food security.

SLUM WOMEN’S INITIATIVE FOR DEVELOPMENT (SWID) capacity builds grassroots women and girls to practicing Smart Agronomic practices.  Climate-smart agriculture is a pathway towards development and food security built on three pillars: increasing productivity and incomes, enhancing resilience of livelihoods and ecosystems and reducing and removing greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere. Mitigation practices that farmers can choose from include tree planting/agroforestry, easy to assemble energy saving stoves, tree conservation and restoration, intercropping, conservation agriculture, crop rotation, integrated crop production, integrated crop-livestock management, Organic fertilizers and manures and improved water management.