Session Title: How Gender-responsive Climate Adaptation Solutions Can Accelerate Resilient Food Systems in Africa

Date: Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Time: 10:30- 12:00 am EDT/ 5:30- 7:30 pm EAT

Venue: Room 520B, Africa Pavilion

Overview

African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) hosted a panel session at the  7^th Adaptation Futures Conference in Montreal, Canada.

This session spotlighted gender-responsive climate research’s role in fostering equitable food systems and presented lessons from initiatives in the global south that address gendered knowledge gaps in climate services. AWARD showcased some of the gender-responsive adaptation solutions and the potential of transformative initiatives that focus on African researchers to develop gender-responsive, context-specific scalable solutions for African smallholders.

The following questions were explored:

• What is the scope and shape of gender-responsive climate change research on the African continent? Which are the models to be celebrated and emulated?
• What tools exist to guide researchers in designing more equitable food systems and climate change research?
• What are some of the promising game-changing gender-responsive solutions that can move the needle in accelerating climate adaptation?
• What are some of the capacity-strengthening priorities we need to pay attention to accelerate African-led climate change research?
• What is some of the recent evidence on gendered access to, use of, and benefit from climate information services, and how can we use this evidence?
• What else do we need to pay attention to for accelerated progress?

Panelists

• Dr. Susan Kaaria, Director, AWARD, Kenya
• Dr. Meseret Tesema, 2020 One Planet Laureate Candidate, Hawassa University, Ethiopia
• Ms. Marie-Therese Daba Sene, 2020 One Planet Laureate Candidate, Gaston Berger University, Senegal
• Ms. Michelle du Toit, Director, Africa and Regional Engagement, Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), South Africa
• Dr. Obed Ogega, Programmes Manager, African Academy of Sciences (AAS), Kenya

Moderator

• Ms. Dorine Odongo, Senior Manager, Communications, AWARD, Kenya