The Role of Gender and Institutional Dynamics in Adapting Seed Systems to Climate Change: Case Studies from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda

Pricilla Marimo, Gloria Otieno, Esther Njuguna-Mungai, Ronnie Vernooy, Michael Halewood, Carlo Fadda, John Wasswa Mulumba, Desterio Ondieki Nyamongo and Margaret Mollel
Additional contact information
Gloria Otieno: Alliance of Bioversity International and International Center for Tropical Agriculture, Kampala P.O. Box 24384, Uganda
Esther Njuguna-Mungai: International Livestock Research Institute, P.O. Box 30709, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
Ronnie Vernooy: Alliance of Bioversity International and International Center for Tropical Agriculture, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
Michael Halewood: Alliance of Bioversity International and International Center for Tropical Agriculture, Via di San Domenico, 00153 Rome, Italy
Carlo Fadda: Alliance of Bioversity International and International Center for Tropical Agriculture, P.O. Box 30677, Nairobi 001001, Kenya
John Wasswa Mulumba: National Agriculture Research Organization, Entebbe P.O. Box 40, Uganda
Desterio Ondieki Nyamongo: Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Genetic Resources Research Institute, P.O. Box 781, Kikuyu 00902, Kenya
Margaret Mollel: Tropical Pesticides Research Institute, Arusha P.O. Box 3024, Tanzania

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 9, 1-26

Abstract: We explore how seed systems enhance access to seeds, and information for climate-change adaptation in farming communities in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, as well as how gender-driven roles and institutional dynamics influence the process. Men and women farmers equally experience climate-change related effects, including drought, short rainy seasons and increased pest and disease incidence. Our study relies on exploratory data analysis of 1001 households surveyed in four sites in 2016. Farmers surveyed preferred early-maturing, heat-tolerant, high-yielding, and pest- and disease-resistant varieties, all important climate-adaptive traits. Seed systems of the focus crops studied are largely informal—overall, 68% women and 62% men use their own seed, indicating women’s higher reliance on ‘informal’ seed and information sources. Only 21% of respondents reported interacting with seed experts who are affiliated with formal organizations. Both formal and informal organizations play a key role in providing access to climate-adapted seed/information, with access for men and women varying across the countries studied. There is a need to support further development of those connections, building on existing social networks. We conclude that inclusive and gender-responsive context- and country-specific seed interventions will ensure equitable outcomes, increase women’s empowerment and strengthen both formal and informal seed systems for more effective climate-change adaptation.

Keywords: adaptation; climate change; gender; institutions; seed systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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