Gender and Climate Change in Malawi: Understanding the impact on agricultural production systems and food security.

Abstract

Most sub -Saharan African (SSA) countries including Malawi, rely on agriculture for food, income, and poverty reduction. The current and anticipated effects of climate change threaten the agricultural sector which is largely dominated by women. Worse still, there is limited information available on gender-related decision-making in resource allocation which influences climate change mitigation and adaptation legislations. Understanding the gender disparities among different rural households is a critical aspect of informing the gender policy on key climate change responses. This essay examines how the distinctive effects of climate change regarding agricultural production and food security affect Malawian men and women differently. With the Sustainable Livelihood Framework and the framework for building resilient food systems amidst climate change, the essay seeks to understand how gender roles intertwine in the process of climate change. The essay has based its inferences from available literature in countries that are contextually related to Malawi as the data from Malawi. The essay further employs an intersectional lens in the discussion and draws upon empirical evidence on the gendered effects of climate change. The essay finds that indeed women’s vulnerability has been increased with the consequences that have come about with climate change. From the analysis, men and women seem to experience climate variations distinctively and this also affects how they adapt to the changes. It is imperative to understand such gender dimensions for policymakers to facilitate more gender-sensitive approaches to agricultural production systems and food security systems which would then improve the quality of life for Malawians.