Drought and the gendered livelihoods implications for smallholder farmers in the Southern Africa Development Community region

Droughts have serious livelihood implications for and within the developing countries. The default assumption is that droughts are perceived as affecting all people in the affected countries equally. This chapter seeks to debunk the myth that droughts affect all people equally and develops a more nuanced understanding of how the gendered power dynamics and power differentials play out in the drought arena to differentiate impacts for different population subgroups. The chapter particularly argues that drought impacts are gendered affecting women, men, children, youth, and the elderly people differently. It further argues that due to the gender differentiated drought impacts men and women respond to drought based on their access to assets to help build their resilience and coping mechanisms to drought. Although the drought experienced might be the same, the assets and resources available will determine the differential resilience opportunities across the different actors within society. Unpacking the gendered complexity will enable a better understanding of how men and women are best able to cope with droughts in the developing world. Such a gendered understanding is not only important for the pursuit of academic endeavors but for policy makers and development partners, to develop better solutions which help to minimize drought risks for all community members alike. The conclusions identify some practical policy opportunities on how to best ameliorate the gendered impacts of droughts within the developing countries.

DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-814820-4.00007-9 openalex: W2975375923 mag: 2975375923