Climate change adaptation strategies as a pathway to gender empowerment in East Shewa Zone, Ethiopia

Climate change threatens agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods, particularly among smallholder farmers in East Africa. In Ethiopia, rural women play critical roles in natural resource management; however, structural social, economic, and institutional barriers limit their adaptive capacity and reinforce gender inequalities. Despite growing attention to climate change adaptation strategies (CCAS), empirical evidence on its role in promoting gender empowerment remains limited. Therefore, this research aims at generating location-specific data on the contribution of CCAS to gender empowerment in the East Shewa Zone of Ethiopia. A multistage sampling procedure was employed to select 446 sample households. Data were collected through household survey, focus group discussion and key informant interviews across four districts and eight kebeles. Gender empowerment outcomes were assessed using a Gender Empowerment Index for Climate Change Adaptation Strategies (GEI-CCAS), covering social, economic, political, and agricultural dimensions, alongside a Gender Parity Index (GPI). Both descriptive and econometric model (binary logit model) were used for data analysis. The findings revealed that farmers implemented 22 climate adaptation strategies, with mixed cropping (91%) and crop calendar adjustment (89%) being the most common. Households adopting climate change adaptation strategies achieved higher empowerment outcomes than non-adopters, with greater involvement in decision-making, livelihoods, and leadership. Binary logistic analysis results indicated that, among male-headed households, gender empowerment increased with education level, livestock ownership, extension contact, annual income, training participation, and involvement in local institutions, while it decreased with greater market distance. For women-headed households, empowerment was positively influenced by education, extension access, income, training, cooperative membership, institutional participation, and irrigation access, whereas crop failure had a negative effect. Strengthening gender-responsive adaptation policies can contribute to achieving SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 13 (Climate Action). The study recommends gender-responsive climate adaptation policies that enhance women's access to resources, climate-smart technologies, institutional services, and leadership opportunities, thereby promoting gender equality and strengthening resilience to climate change.