Understanding gender differences in availability, accessibility and use of climate information among smallholder farmers in Malawi

ABSTRACTDecision support systems—collections of related information located in a central place to be used for decision-making—can be used as platforms from which climate information can be shared with decision-makers. Unfortunately, these tools are not often evaluated, meaning developers do not know how useful or usable their products are. In this study, a web-based climate decision support system (DSS) for foresters in the southeastern United States was evaluated by using eye-tracking technology. The initial study design was exploratory and focused on assessing usability concerns within the website. Results showed differences between male and female forestry experts in their eye-tracking behavior and in their success with completing tasks and answering questions related to the climate information presented in the DSS. A follow-up study, using undergraduate students from a large university in the southeastern United States, aimed to determine whether similar gender differences existed and could be detected and, if so, whether the cause(s) could be determined. The second evaluation, similar to the first, showed that males and females focused their attention on different aspects of the website; males focused more on the maps depicting climate information while females focused more on other aspects of the website (e.g., text, search bars, and color bars). DSS developers should consider the possibility of gender differences when designing a web-based DSS and include website features that draw user attention to important DSS elements to effectively support various populations of users.

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What drives smallholder farmers’ crop production choices in Central Zambia? Lessons from the 2012/2013 agricultural season

Journal of Agricultural Studies ◽

10.5296/jas.v3i2.7125 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Kabwe Harnadih Mubanga ◽

Bridget Bwalya Umar ◽

Jane Muchabi ◽

Chishimba Mubanga

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Crop Production ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Structured Interview ◽

State Agency ◽

Household Food Security ◽

Climate Information ◽

Adaptation Measures ◽

Household Food

The study, conducted in central Zambia was aimed at determining the major drivers of crop production choices among smallholder farmers. It utilized recent national crop production and utilization data; 200 semi-structured interview schedules, and key informant interviews conducted with smallholder farmers and experts from the agricultural sector in Zambia respectively. Results showed that despite being confronted by late on-set of rains and post germination crop attacks by army worms which made maize (Zea mays) production extremely precarious, 61.5% of the affected smallholder farmers replanted their cultivated land with maize. The farmers had a choice of whether to replant maize which had a ready market from the state agency, the Food Reserve Agency, or to plant a drought tolerant crop such as sorghum or millet which would have guaranteed them with household food security from own production. They mainly chose the former option. They increased production of other crops such as soya beans (Glycine max), sun flower(Helianthus annuus) and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) when contract farming with private business entities became available. Markets determined smallholder farmers’ crop production choices more than household food security from own production or availability of climate information forecasting poor rainfall distribution. The study concludes that (i) prior knowledge of climate information does not necessarily result in a change of smallholder farmers’ crop production choices in response to a predicted climate anomaly, (ii) markets are a major determinant of crops cultivated by smallholder farmers, and hence adaptation measures involving crop diversification should be designed with market availability in mind.

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Evaluating the Impact of Weather and Climate Information Utilization on Adoption of Climate-Smart Technologies Among Smallholder Farmers in Tambacounda and Kolda Regions, (Senegal)

10.7176/jees/11-2-05 ◽

2021 ◽

Keyword(s):

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Climate Information ◽

Information Utilization ◽

Weather And Climate ◽

Smart Technologies ◽

The Impact

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Vulnerability of rural households to climate-induced shocks in Lokka Abaya district, Sidama zone, southern Ethiopia

Jàmbá Journal of Disaster Risk Studies ◽

10.4102/jamba.v13i1.1051 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Muluken Mekuyie

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Household Head ◽

Credit Market ◽

Environmental Indicators ◽

Southern Ethiopia ◽

Climate Information ◽

Male And Female ◽

Female Headed Households

This study was conducted in rural communities of Lokka Abaya district, Sidama zone, southern Ethiopia to assess vulnerability status of men and women households to climate-induced shocks and stress. This article is based on household survey, focus group discussion and key informant interviews. A total of 258 smallholder farmers were selected from three villages using stratified random sampling. A combination of social, economic and environmental indicators was employed to develop the vulnerability index of each household head and estimate quantitatively that is vulnerability is estimated as a function of adaptive capacity, exposure and sensitivity of households. The results indicated that farmers had poor access to public services including access to affordable credit, market, health services and climate information. The survey revealed that droughts, floods, soil erosion, pests and diseases were climate-related challenges in the study area. Regarding vulnerability of households to climate variability, results indicated that around 8.5% and 18.2% of male- and female-headed households, respectively, were highly vulnerable whilst 41% and 45.5% of male- and female-headed households, respectively, were moderately vulnerable. The results confirmed that 37.7% and 27.3% of male- and female-headed households, respectively, were less vulnerable. The rest 12.8% men and 9% women were not vulnerable. Therefore, there is a need to enhance access to affordable credit, market, climate information, health, income diversification of farmers, soil and water conservation and afforestation of hilly areas if farmers need to be climate resilient.

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