Building resilience in the face of climate change within traditional rain fed agricultural and pastoral systems in Sudan

The report assesses gender inequalities in Sudan and their intersection with climate change to inform a Gender Action Plan (GAP) for a resilience-building project. It identifies that women are disproportionately affected by climate variability due to existing poverty, limited access to resources, and socio-cultural norms. The proposed GAP focuses on mainstreaming gender equality through Farmer Field Schools, the use of Household Methodologies (such as GALS), and targeted interventions like horticulture gardens and microfinance to enhance the adaptive capacity of women and men in rural Sudan.

• Climate change impacts in Sudan are not gender-neutral, as women and men possess different knowledge of natural resource management and identify different adaptation measures. Women are primarily responsible for water and firewood collection, food production, and storage, while men typically handle commercial timber and non-timber forest product extraction.
• Women in Sudan face significant systemic inequalities, ranking 140 out of 145 countries in the 2013 Gender Inequality Index (GII) with a value of 0.628. The 2014 Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) value of 0.555 further indicates that discrimination against women is very high.
• Gender-based violence (GBV) is a prevalent issue in Sudan, exacerbated by armed conflicts and environmental degradation. Approximately 86.6% of women aged 15-49 have undergone Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), and 34% of women in the same age group believe a husband is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain conditions.
• There are stark disparities in education and labor force participation. In 2010, only 12.8% of women had at least a secondary education compared to 18.2% of men. In the labor force, women's participation is significantly lower (6.08%) than men's (15%), with the vast majority of women in agriculture (78%-90%) working in the traditional subsistence sector.
• Women in rural Sudan lack equal legal rights to own land assets, although they have secure access to non-land assets. Due to conflict and the migration of men to cities, there is a relatively large number of women-headed households in targeted states, increasing the need for targeted access to production inputs and financing.
• Past interventions have shown that community-managed horticulture gardens (Jubrakas) and energy alternatives (such as stoves and gas cylinders) effectively empower women by improving household nutrition, increasing income, and reducing the time spent collecting firewood.
• The project's Gender Action Plan (GAP) will utilize Household Methodologies (HHM), specifically Gender Action Learning Systems (GALS), to stimulate behavioral change and gender equality within households and communities. This approach will be integrated into Farmer Field Schools and supported by a dedicated Gender Officer.

APA

Green Climate Fund (2020). Building resilience in the face of climate change within traditional rain fed agricultural and pastoral systems in Sudan. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp139-gender-assessment.pdf

Chicago

Green Climate Fund. Building resilience in the face of climate change within traditional rain fed agricultural and pastoral systems in Sudan. 2020. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp139-gender-assessment.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Climate Fund |title=Building resilience in the face of climate change within traditional rain fed agricultural and pastoral systems in Sudan |date=8 May 2020 |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp139-gender-assessment.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenclimatefund2020building, author = {{Green Climate Fund}}, title = {{Building resilience in the face of climate change within traditional rain fed agricultural and pastoral systems in Sudan}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, year = {2020}, month = may, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp139-gender-assessment.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }