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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Clim.
Sec. Climate Risk Management
Volume 6 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fclim.2024.1418015
This article is part of the Research Topic Impacts of Climate change and Drylands: Challenges, Opportunities, and Innovations to Transform Global Drylands View all 4 articles

Gender vulnerability assessment to inform gender-sensitive adaptation action: a case study in semi-arid areas of Mali

Provisionally accepted
Alcade C. Segnon Alcade C. Segnon 1,2*Mariame Magassa Mariame Magassa 3Esdras A. Obossou Esdras A. Obossou 1Samuel T. Partey Samuel T. Partey 4Prosper Houessionon Prosper Houessionon 5Robert B. Zougmoré Robert B. Zougmoré 1
  • 1 International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Dakar, Senegal
  • 2 Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, Benin
  • 3 ISTOM École Supérieure d’Agro-Développement International, Angers, France
  • 4 Green Climate Fund, Songdo Business District, Incheon, Republic of Korea
  • 5 Other, Dakar, Senegal

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Understanding the gender dimensions of vulnerability to climate change is crucial for designing effective gender-transformative climate actions. This is particularly crucial in the semi-arid regions of West Africa, a climate change "hotspot" where high dependence on climate-sensitive livelihoods and limited adaptive capacity make agriculture and livelihoods highly vulnerable. In this study we combined semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with a systematic literature review to analyze gendered household vulnerability to climate change in Cinzana, a semi-arid area of Mali, and identify entry points for gender-transformative adaptation actions. The Livelihood Vulnerability assessment indicated that female-headed households were more vulnerable than male-headed households. Differential socio-demographic profiles, livelihood strategies, social networks, water and food and agricultural production systems were key drivers of the gendered vulnerability patterns. A systematic review of drivers of gendered vulnerability in Mali illustrated how socio-cultural norms and roles assigned to women, and limited women access to and control over productive resources and adaptation technologies make women more vulnerable to climatic and non-climatic risks. We highlight the need of gender transformative approaches to address the structural gender inequality and reduce vulnerability of female-headed households. We outline three pathways for reducing female-headed households' vulnerability to climate change, including the promotion of gender-smart extension and climate advisory services and empowering women.

    Keywords: gender, Livelihood vulnerability, Vulnerability Assessment, social inclusion, Semi-arid regions, adaptation, Climate Change, Mali

    Received: 15 Apr 2024; Accepted: 11 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Segnon, Magassa, Obossou, Partey, Houessionon and Zougmoré. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Alcade C. Segnon, International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Dakar, Senegal

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