Gender Norms and Climate-smart information in Northern Zambia

Abstract

In recent years, northern Zambia has experienced climate change in the form of droughts and heavy rainfall, threatening the production and livelihoods of small-scale fish farmers. To help them anticipate and adapt their farming practices to changing weather patterns, local and international actors have been disseminating climate-smart information (CSI) mainly through physical trainings, radio broadcasts and roadshows. The remote location of fish farmers, lack of natural, technological, and financial resources, and low levels of education have reportedly undermined the participation of marginalised farmers, especially women, in climate information services (CIS). Interviews with 14 fish farmers, 6 representatives of SMEs involved in the aquaculture value chain (AVC) and 4 extension officers from the Zambian Department of Fisheries indicate that deeply rooted cultural norms of how women and men should behave shape their relative roles and engagement in aquaculture, reinforcing male biased participation in CIS. Qualitative findings suggest that these norms are changing, along with attitudes towards women's involvement in aquaculture, as evidenced by their increasing access to CIS. However, norms regarding ownership and control of land and technology, time available for (re)productive activities, and the types of tasks and involvement appropriate for women and men in aquaculture, determine how certain actors disseminate climate information and prevent women's independent use of climate information. Greater harmonisation of objectives between government ministries, traditional authorities, financial institutions, and non-governmental organisations is needed to promote gender transformation in fish farmers' access to, and use of, CSI and to improve the overall resilience of fish farming households. The authors recommend that disseminators use different communication channels and adjust the timing of dissemination to include women as key beneficiaries. CSI dissemination should also consider women's lower technological, legal and financial literacy to ensure that they benefit from the training in an effective and sustainable way.