Did you know that in parts of Kenya and Tanzania, nearly half of all climate-smart agriculture trainees are women? These aren’t just classroom stats—they’re frontline stories of resilience and leadership.
Women here are not only learning the science of sustainability, they're redefining it. From planting drought-resistant crops and conserving precious water to revolutionizing land use and anchoring household food security, they’re cultivating more than harvests—they’re growing futures.
In the heart of Tanzania’s Mvomero district, Maasai women—once sidelined in family and farming decisions—are now leading a climate-smart revolution. As droughts worsened and livestock dwindled, these women boldly shifted to crop farming, building rainwater reservoirs and adopting resilient techniques that not only fed their families but also challenged long-standing patriarchal norms.
Meanwhile, in Kenya, women like Joyce from Kiambu County transformed barren plots into thriving food forests through agroforestry, inspiring neighbors and reshaping their communities’ futures.
These stories aren’t just about adapting to climate change—they’re about women rewriting the rules of resilience, leadership, and hope in East Africa’s farmlands. Let us discover their stories and understand the key factors that contribute to their success. In the process, we will also gain insight into the challenges they have overcome.
Table of Contents
Climate-Smart Agriculture
Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is a sustainable farming approach that combines traditional knowledge with innovative practices, including climate-resilient crop varieties, agroforestry, effective water management, and improved livestock management techniques. It aims to increase productivity, enhance resilience to climate change, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, supporting rural livelihoods, boosting incomes, and strengthening global efforts against climate change.
CSA is transforming agricultural landscapes in Africa, offering innovative solutions to the challenges posed by climate change. In Kenya and Tanzania, women are emerging as pivotal agents in this transformation. Despite facing entrenched gender inequalities and limited access to resources, women are leading the way in adopting and scaling climate-smart practices, thereby improving food security, household resilience, and community well-being.
Why Women Matter in Climate-Smart Agriculture
Women make up a substantial proportion of the agricultural workforce in both Kenya and Tanzania. They are often responsible for critical tasks such as planting, weeding, harvesting, and managing household food supplies. However, structural gender inequalities—such as restricted land rights, limited access to credit, and exclusion from decision-making—have historically hindered their ability to respond to and mitigate climate risks. Addressing these barriers is essential for the success and sustainability of CSA initiatives.
Greenhouse Effect
In Kenya, women’s groups, such as the Lusario Widows’ Group and the Bungule Women’s Group, manage greenhouse farms where they grow and sell vegetables like tomatoes, spinach, coriander, and kale. These greenhouses provide controlled environments that help overcome challenges such as drought and limited land and have become important sources of income and empowerment for women in arid regions.
In Tanzania, women farmers, such as those in the Kusini District of Zanzibar, utilise climate-resilient technologies, including nursery houses (which function similarly to greenhouses), water reservoirs, and modern irrigation systems, to enhance crop yields and improve climate resilience. These efforts are supported by organizations like the Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA) and UN Women, which promote inclusive and sustainable farming models for women.
Success Stories from Kenya
Empowering Women in Arid Regions
A collaborative project led by UN Women and FAO Kenya has targeted over 2,700 farmers across three counties in arid and semi-arid areas. This initiative focuses on enhancing women’s capacity for climate-resilient practices, increasing their incomes and access to nutrition, and strengthening their participation in agricultural policy-making. By integrating gender equality with climate action, the project aligns with both national and international development goals, envisioning a future where women are at the centre of building climate-resilient livelihoods.
Women-Led Cooperatives: Kimatwa SACCO
In Makueni County, the Kimatwa Women SACCO—a women-led cooperative with over 700 members—has become a beacon of climate-smart innovation. The cooperative offers agricultural loans and promotes the adoption of CSA techniques to mitigate frequent crop failures resulting from climate change. Through collective action and mutual support, members have improved their financial stability and agricultural productivity, demonstrating the power of women’s leadership in scaling community-supported agriculture.
Impact on Household Food Security
Research in Baringo County has shown that women’s participation in Community-Scale Agriculture (CSA) significantly enhances sustainable household food security. Practices such as agroforestry, drought-resistant crops, and water-efficient irrigation have enabled women to better manage food production even in the face of climate variability. However, the study also highlights the ongoing need for gender-sensitive policies to address barriers in accessing resources, training, and decision-making opportunities.
Success Stories from Tanzania
Alaska Tanzania: Supporting Women Rice Farmers
Alaska Tanzania, a climate-smart enterprise, sources rice from a pool of 65 small-scale farmers, 65% of whom are women. The enterprise offers training on good agricultural practices, climate change adaptation, water conservation, and the efficient use of inputs. To date, Alaska Tanzania has supported 8,000 paddy farmers, helping them reduce input costs, access high-quality seeds, and secure financing. The enterprise also runs programs like Mama Lishe, which further empower women through nutrition and business training.
Maasai Women Leading the Charge
In Tanzania’s Mvomero district, Maasai women are spearheading a climate-smart revolution by shifting from traditional livestock rearing to crop farming. They have adopted practices such as rainwater harvesting and drought-tolerant crops, constructing reservoirs themselves, and managing their family resources. This shift has not only improved food security but also challenged longstanding patriarchal norms, thereby elevating women’s status within their communities and fostering more inclusive decision-making processes.
Data Snapshot: Women and Climate-Smart Agriculture in East Africa
- Kenya and Tanzania have diverse agricultural workforces, with women comprising 50-60% and 52% of the workforce, respectively.
- Climate-smart agriculture can lead to a 30-50% increase in crop yields for women farmers, especially when incorporating agroforestry, improved irrigation, and drought-resistant crops.
- Over 8,000 women farmers in Tanzania have been trained through initiatives such as Alaska Tanzania, UN Women-FAO partnerships, and local cooperatives, with more than 700 members in Makueni County receiving CSA training and financial support.
Key Enablers and Persistent Barriers
Enablers:
- Access to Information and Training: Training on CSA techniques and climate adaptation is crucial for women’s success.
- Cooperatives and Farmer Groups: Membership in women-led cooperatives enhances access to inputs, credit, and support networks.
- Supportive Enterprises: Climate-smart enterprises like Alaska Tanzania provide critical market linkages and resources.
Barriers:
- Land and Credit Access: Women often own less land and have limited access to credit, restricting their ability to implement resource-intensive CSA practices.
- Exclusion from Decision-Making: Gender-biased norms can marginalize women from farmer groups and policy processes.
- Labor Constraints: Limited access to labor further hinders women’s capacity to adopt new practices.
Transformative Impact and the Way Forward
The stories from Kenya and Tanzania demonstrate that when women are empowered with knowledge, resources, and decision-making power, they become formidable champions of climate-smart agriculture. Their leadership not only improves household food security and resilience but also drives broader social change, challenging gender norms and fostering community development.
However, for CSA to reach its full potential, interventions must be intentionally gender-sensitive. This means addressing structural inequalities, ensuring equitable access to land, credit, and training, and actively involving women in policy and program design.
Call to Action
Support Local Women’s Cooperatives
Supporting local women's cooperatives promotes inclusive, sustainable development by providing them with land, credit, resources, and training. These cooperatives enhance agricultural productivity, bolster food security, and foster economic resilience. Empowering women-led cooperatives through government funding, NGO partnerships, and consumer support enables them to become key agents in combating climate change and poverty, transforming lives and landscapes in Kenya and Tanzania.
Promote Policy Reform for Gender Equity in Agriculture
Gender equity in agriculture requires policy reforms to eliminate the structural barriers faced by women farmers, including a lack of legal land ownership, access to finance, and exclusion from decision-making processes. These reforms should guarantee equal land rights, provide access to agricultural credit, and ensure that women's voices are heard in rural governance. Promoting equity boosts productivity, sustainability, and food security.
Fund Climate-Smart Training Programs
Climate-smart training programs equip farmers, particularly women, with skills to adapt to changing climates. These programs encompass sustainable practices such as agroforestry, water conservation, crop diversification, and the use of drought-resistant seeds. Investing in these programs enhances food security, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and supports rural communities and their livelihoods. Women farmers become climate leaders, driving innovation and building adaptive communities across Africa and the Global South.
Conclusion
Women in Kenya and Tanzania are demonstrating that they are not merely victims of climate change but also powerful agents of adaptation and transformation. Their success stories in climate-smart agriculture offer a blueprint for inclusive, sustainable development across Africa and beyond. By investing in women and dismantling the barriers they face, the region can build a more resilient, food-secure, and equitable future.
In Kenya’s arid lands, women like those in the Kimatwa cooperative have turned climate challenges into opportunities, proving that resilience grows strongest when nurtured by women’s hands. In Tanzania, the success of Alaska Tanzania’s women rice farmers displays how empowering women can transform entire communities. It’s no coincidence that studies reveal farms managed by women often yield higher productivity and greater food security. These inspiring stories remind us that climate-smart agriculture is not just about technology or techniques—it’s about unlocking the potential of women as catalysts for change.
As East Africa faces an uncertain climate future, investing in women’s leadership and breaking down barriers isn’t just fair—it’s essential.
The seeds of transformation are already sown; now, it’s time to cultivate a future where women’s knowledge and power grow unabated, ensuring food security and resilience for generations to come. The time to save the planet has long been due. There is no reason to delay it any further.
Watch this space for new developments and insights on this front.
