Why climate action needs to prioritise women

By Dan Collison, Chief Executive

Today, the mercury’s set to hit highs of 36°C in London. The heat reflected from the tarmac is stifling as I cycle to work. Tree-lined streets are my favoured route, their shade bringing a welcome relief from the intense heat.

The heatwave is a fitting backdrop for London Climate Action Week, which this week brings together more than 75,000 people across more than 750 events to focus on the escalating climate crisis.

I started the week yesterday participating in an event convened by UNEP focusing on how finance mechanisms can protect forests, and I look forward to many more events this week, bringing opportunities to share learning on climate action, including the launch of our new carbon project with the UNHCR’s Refugee Environmental Protection Fund.

A woman looking up at the trees in a forest in Uganda.

As forecasters predict that the El Niño weather pattern that’s just started could be among the strongest ever recorded, that action is ever more urgent.

As the Farm Africa team attends London Climate Action Week events this week, our priority is to spotlight those at the frontline of the climate crisis: rural women.

A simple truth that we see every day in our work with smallholder farmers in eastern Africa is that climate change is not gender-neutral.

We believe climate action needs to prioritise women. Not just because it’s fair, but because it works.

The climate crisis has a human face

Smallholder farmers are on the front line of climate change. Unpredictable rainfall, degraded soils and rising temperatures are making it harder to grow food and earn a stable income.

A female pastoralist carrying animal fodder in Ethiopia.

But within those households, the impacts are not shared equally. Women often carry the heaviest burden. They are the ones who walk further each day in search of water as regular sources dry up. Who rise early to work in the fields, trying everything they can to keep their crops alive as temperatures soar.

When harvests fail and incomes shrink, the consequences ripple through families. Food becomes scarce. Stress rises. Evidence shows that economic strain linked to climate change can increase the risk of gender-based violence. For women, the climate crisis impacts their safety, dignity and control over their own lives.

Financial independence changes everything

One of the clearest lessons from Farm Africa’s work is that access to finance to adapt to climate extremes is transformative. It gives women the chance to invest in drought-tolerant seeds or buy livestock to diversify their incomes.

Coupled with training in climate-smart agriculture to boost productivity, access to finance is the springboard rural women need to earn their own money, even during extreme weather.

Women farmers tell us that having their own income reduces household tension and gives them greater say over decisions. When women can pay for essentials such as food, soap and school costs themselves, it eases pressure and strengthens resilience.

The Atota Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA), one of the 118 VSLAs established through Farm Africa’s Forests for Sustainable Development programme in Ethiopia.

Community savings groups such as Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) are a powerful way to make that happen. But design matters. Evidence from Farm Africa programmes shows that groups that align savings and repayment cycles with real livelihoods, such as harvest times, grow faster and invest more in adapting to climate change.

In Ethiopia, for example, one savings group redesigned its model around the coffee harvest cycle. Savings grew by 80%, and other groups copied the approach without external support. That’s the kind of locally led, practical innovation that drives lasting change.

Women drive climate-smart farming

Prioritising women also delivers stronger environmental outcomes.

Across our programmes in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania, we see a consistent pattern: women are leading the uptake of regenerative agriculture practices that build resilience to climate change by improving soil health and water retention. Female farmers adopt new practices earlier, stick with them longer and achieve higher yields.

In Kenya, female-headed households adopted regenerative technologies at far higher rates than male-headed households, and produced significantly more as a result.

Felista, a female farmer working with Farm Africa in Embu in Kenya, explained to RTE’s Countrywide programme: “I use organic manure. The harvest is bigger and very healthy. My soil is very rich in every nutrient I need, so it will produce well.”

Felista (left) pictured on her farm in Embu in Kenya. Photo: Farm Africa / Camilla Turner

This doesn’t mean we exclude men from our programmes. Sustainable change depends on engaging everyone, especially where men influence land-use decisions. But it does mean recognising who is driving progress on the ground and designing programmes accordingly.

When you put women at the centre, adoption of regenerative agriculture practices accelerates and results improve.

Women protect nature too

The same is true for natural resource management.

Through participatory forest management, Farm Africa supports communities to protect forests while improving livelihoods. A cornerstone of this approach is ensuring women have a real voice in decision-making.

We require that women hold key leadership roles in forest management committees. The results speak for themselves. Female leaders play a critical role in monitoring and enforcing rules that prevent deforestation.

The Biftu Beri all-female group patroling the forest in Ethiopia’s Bale Eco-region to monitor its status and look out for infringements of bylaws prohibiting deforestation.

In Ethiopia’s Bale Eco-region, women’s groups are at the heart of forest protection. One all-female savings group patrols forest areas as part of their daily routines, combining conservation with their household responsibilities. As one member told us, women’s close connection to the forest gives them a unique role in safeguarding it.

Since 2022, communities taking part in our Forests for Sustainable Development programme have helped protect more than 750,000 hectares of forest, while significantly reducing deforestation and increasing household incomes. That’s the kind of win-win outcome climate action needs.

Climate action that works

Taking a gender-responsive approach is about designing solutions that reflect reality.

Women are central to farming systems, household economies and natural resource management. Ignoring that undermines impact.

At the same time, meaningful inclusion means working with entire communities. Engaging men, shifting norms and supporting joint decision-making are all essential for lasting change.

If we are serious about tackling the climate crisis, we need to back the approaches that work. And that means putting women front and centre of the solution.