Strengthening Gender Equity in Locally Led Adaptation Processes in Africa

This WRI and WCCI working paper identifies seven enabling factors to integrate gender equity into locally led adaptation (LLA) processes, specifically within Africa's agricultural sector. It argues for a shift toward gender-transformative activities that challenge harmful social norms and power dynamics to ensure long-term climate resilience and gender equality.

• Women in Africa and globally are central to agriculture and climate adaptation but are frequently excluded from decision-making and resource access due to a lack of gender consideration in policies and program design, as well as restrictive sociocultural norms and the gendered division of labor.
• The paper distinguishes between simple participation and gender-transformative activities; the latter aim for long-term gender equality by shifting away from harmful power dynamics and social norms, which leads to better-informed adaptation planning and resilience.
• The authors identify seven enabling factors to embed gender equity within LLA: integrating gender into funding and national policies; utilizing flexible project finance and design; confronting restrictive institutions and norms; promoting women's agency and leadership; reducing labor burdens for women and girls; ensuring equal access to and control over resources (such as land and finance); and ensuring gender-equal benefits from technology.
• To support gender equity in LLA, funders and implementers are advised to invest in long-term relationships with women-led organizations, build staff capacity for gender analysis, and ensure technology is gender-responsive. Specifically, funders should provide flexible, patient funding with timelines of at least five years to allow for social change and iterative learning.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Strengthening Gender Equity in Locally Led Adaptation Processes in Africa. https://www.wri.org/research/strengthening-gender-equity-locally-led-adaptation-processes-africa

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Strengthening Gender Equity in Locally Led Adaptation Processes in Africa. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/strengthening-gender-equity-locally-led-adaptation-processes-africa.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Strengthening Gender Equity in Locally Led Adaptation Processes in Africa |url=https://www.wri.org/research/strengthening-gender-equity-locally-led-adaptation-processes-africa |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendstrengthening, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Strengthening Gender Equity in Locally Led Adaptation Processes in Africa}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/strengthening-gender-equity-locally-led-adaptation-processes-africa}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }