The biased narrative of vulnerable women: gender analysis of smallholder farmers’ contextual vulnerability to climate change in the Taita Hills, Kenya

Maiju Palosaari, Antti Autio (), Elizabeth Mbinga, Petri Pellikka and Tino Johansson
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Maiju Palosaari: University of Helsinki
Antti Autio: University of Helsinki
Elizabeth Mbinga: Kenyatta University
Petri Pellikka: University of Helsinki
Tino Johansson: University of Helsinki

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 2024, vol. 29, issue 6, No 1, 29 pages

Abstract: Abstract Climate change is increasing challenges in the agricultural sector for smallholder farmers. A key element in successful formulation of adaptation strategies is the analysis of vulnerability to climate change. This study examines smallholder farmers’ contextual vulnerability to climate change through their perceived vulnerability and focuses on gendered narratives and power structures in the Taita Hills, Kenya. The key methods are semi-structured interviews (N = 28) and a critical discourse analysis. The collected data consists of two-headed household interviews, single-headed household interviews, and key informant interviews with different stakeholders from the agriculture sector. Results indicate that contextual vulnerability can form a baseline for understanding individuals’ possibilities to adapt to changing environmental and climatic conditions. Outcome vulnerability analysis, that treats vulnerability as an endpoint output following mitigation actions, offers highly relevant information, but it is not alone enough for understanding the challenges and possibilities of climate change adaptation. Women and men farmers’ coping and adaptation response strategies did not differ notably, which supports the criticism of the gendered nature of vulnerability discourse. Differences in strategies appeared to be more linked in intersectional aspects between farmers in single-headed and two-headed households. Furthermore, the vulnerable women narrative did not reflect women farmers’ agency and centrality in the agriculture sector. The discourse of climate change adaptation should be corrected towards addressing structural challenges that can place people in a vulnerable position within diverse contextual conditions and intersecting attributes.

Keywords: Adaptive capacity; Agriculture; Climate change; Contextual vulnerability; Discourse; Gender analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s11027-024-10147-z

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