GENDER ROLES AND LIVELIHOOD ACTIVITIES: IMPLICATIONS ON ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN SOUTH-WEST NIGERIA

Abstract

In most parts of developing world, females are saddled with different roles they played in thehouseholds/ or communities. These roles impinge their capacity and ability to adapt toclimate change. This study examined the implications of gender roles on adaptation toclimate change and the livelihood options of male and female farmers in Ekiti and OgunStates, Nigeria. Employing a questionnaire survey, data were collected from 358 male and222 female farmers using a multi-stage sampling procedure. Data obtained weredescriptively analysed. In terms of gender roles, more female farmers were mostly involved inproduction tasks and reproduction tasks while male farmers were more involved incommunity development tasks and politics. For livelihood activities, more male farmers wereinvolved in on-farm livelihood activities than female farmers, however, female farmersengaged more in off-farm livelihood activities than male farmers while more farmers wereinvolved in non-farm livelihood activities. This study thus recommends that climate changeinterventions should be gender-responsive considering the livelihood interest, constraints andmultiple roles of female farmers and that capacity building of female farmers shouldaccommodate labour-saving technologies, solar energy sources and borehole.