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1 Introduction
1.1 Gender Dynamics, Climate Change, and Food Security
Gender and food insecurity challenges are increasingly emerging as priority concerns,
particularly in developing countries, where efforts to improve agricultural production
are being undermined by the effects of climate change (FAO 2007). Extreme weather
conditions associated with the prevailing climatic conditions have had diverse effects
on the poor and women who derive their livelihood from the agricultural sector. The
unexpected incidences of floods, submergence, and drought and the increasing incidences of pest and diseases pose threats to food security (Porter et al. 2014). Notably
frequent flash floods have left people homeless and displaced and have destroyed
crops, public property, and infrastructure. These climatic events are more visible in
severe stress-prone areas that entirely depend on rains for agriculture (Nwafor 2007;
Jagtap 2007), and the effects are more varied between women and men, with women
being more affected. The differential effects are attributed to the existing gender
inequalities that are in existence. They manifest in various forms including limited
access to resources, gender divisions of labor, limited decision-making ability, and
power relations. These inequalities lower women’s social and economic status, reinforce their vulnerabilities, and make it difficult for them to effectively respond to or
cope with the adverse effects of climate change (Olsson et al. 2014).
Despite the numerous efforts geared toward this cause, however, the belief in
women as change agents still remains strong on the basis that they have long been
promoters of change. They have been prominent in natural resource management,
innovations, farming, and household welfare. Hence, women may not only have
valuable knowledge that can enable them identify appropriate adaptation techniques
but also knowledge that could help design effective climate change mitigation strategies (UNDP 2010). Given the argument above therefore, development interventions promoting women’s engagement are still emphasized not only to promote
their status but also enable them benefit from their disposition as change agents.
Currently, however, the differential information on the effect of climate change
on women and men is not sufficient to enable policy and decision-makers to address
the existing climate change, gender, and food insecurity challenges effectively for
the benefit of rural communities. This information gap calls for more studies on the
existing challenges and vulnerabilities of women and men in relation to the adverse
effects of climate change and their capacity to cope and adapt. In this regard, a study
on gender, food security, and climate change variations with respect to rice (Oryza
sativa) production in Uganda was undertaken.
1.2 Rice Production in Uganda
Although rice production was introduced in Uganda way back in 1904 (Bigirwa
et al. 2005), its role in the country’s economy only became noticed in the late 1940s
as part of the then government’s efforts to incorporate rice-based rations in the feedT. Akongo and C. Chonde
1 Introduction
1.1 Gender Dynamics, Climate Change, and Food Security
Gender and food insecurity challenges are increasingly emerging as priority concerns,
particularly in developing countries, where efforts to improve agricultural production
are being undermined by the effects of climate change (FAO 2007). Extreme weather
conditions associated with the prevailing climatic conditions have had diverse effects
on the poor and women who derive their livelihood from the agricultural sector. The
unexpected incidences of floods, submergence, and drought and the increasing incidences of pest and diseases pose threats to food security (Porter et al. 2014). Notably
frequent flash floods have left people homeless and displaced and have destroyed
crops, public property, and infrastructure. These climatic events are more visible in
severe stress-prone areas that entirely depend on rains for agriculture (Nwafor 2007;
Jagtap 2007), and the effects are more varied between women and men, with women
being more affected. The differential effects are attributed to the existing gender
inequalities that are in existence. They manifest in various forms including limited
access to resources, gender divisions of labor, limited decision-making ability, and
power relations. These inequalities lower women’s social and economic status, reinforce their vulnerabilities, and make it difficult for them to effectively respond to or
cope with the adverse effects of climate change (Olsson et al. 2014).
Despite the numerous efforts geared toward this cause, however, the belief in
women as change agents still remains strong on the basis that they have long been
promoters of change. They have been prominent in natural resource management,
innovations, farming, and household welfare. Hence, women may not only have
valuable knowledge that can enable them identify appropriate adaptation techniques
but also knowledge that could help design effective climate change mitigation strategies (UNDP 2010). Given the argument above therefore, development interventions promoting women’s engagement are still emphasized not only to promote
their status but also enable them benefit from their disposition as change agents.
Currently, however, the differential information on the effect of climate change
on women and men is not sufficient to enable policy and decision-makers to address
the existing climate change, gender, and food insecurity challenges effectively for
the benefit of rural communities. This information gap calls for more studies on the
existing challenges and vulnerabilities of women and men in relation to the adverse
effects of climate change and their capacity to cope and adapt. In this regard, a study
on gender, food security, and climate change variations with respect to rice (Oryza
sativa) production in Uganda was undertaken.
1.2 Rice Production in Uganda
Although rice production was introduced in Uganda way back in 1904 (Bigirwa
et al. 2005), its role in the country’s economy only became noticed in the late 1940s
as part of the then government’s efforts to incorporate rice-based rations in the feedT. Akongo and C. Chonde