Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Taking gender seriously in climate change adaptation and sustainability science research : views from feminist debates and sub-Saharan small-scale agriculture

Jerneck, Anne LU (2018) In Sustainability Science 13(2). p.403-416
Abstract

People, places, and production contributing the least to climate change will suffer the most. This calls for adaptation as a key climate change response. But adaptation is surrounded by problems. Finance is uncertain and fragmented, mainstreaming into development is complicated, and technical solutions often overshadow existing social relations and institutions. From a gender perspective, and as a critical research initiative to support the building of sustainability science as an umbrella field, this article raises three pertinent questions on adaptation in the global South: what is its purpose, how can development inform it, and what institutions in terms of rights and responsibilities are core to it? Focusing on sub-Saharan... (More)

People, places, and production contributing the least to climate change will suffer the most. This calls for adaptation as a key climate change response. But adaptation is surrounded by problems. Finance is uncertain and fragmented, mainstreaming into development is complicated, and technical solutions often overshadow existing social relations and institutions. From a gender perspective, and as a critical research initiative to support the building of sustainability science as an umbrella field, this article raises three pertinent questions on adaptation in the global South: what is its purpose, how can development inform it, and what institutions in terms of rights and responsibilities are core to it? Focusing on sub-Saharan small-scale agriculture, three main points emerge. Regarding the purpose, adaptation should be a transformative pathway out of poverty, ill-health, and food insecurity. Regarding development, adaptation can learn from how development theory, policy, and practice have addressed women, gender, and environment in varied settings and debates. Regarding core institutions, adaptation must address gender regimes that regulate access to, use of, and control over resources, especially those defining land distribution, labour division, and strategic decision-making power. To conclude, I propose gender-informed research questions for further inquiry.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Development, Distribution, Empowerment, Environment, Inequality, Poverty
in
Sustainability Science
volume
13
issue
2
pages
403 - 416
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • pmid:30147786
  • scopus:85049003500
ISSN
1862-4065
DOI
10.1007/s11625-017-0464-y
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
878079ed-a11f-4683-b26b-fc3756dd6b18
date added to LUP
2017-09-07 08:19:13
date last changed
2022-03-24 20:55:45
@article{878079ed-a11f-4683-b26b-fc3756dd6b18,
  abstract     = {{<p>People, places, and production contributing the least to climate change will suffer the most. This calls for adaptation as a key climate change response. But adaptation is surrounded by problems. Finance is uncertain and fragmented, mainstreaming into development is complicated, and technical solutions often overshadow existing social relations and institutions. From a gender perspective, and as a critical research initiative to support the building of sustainability science as an umbrella field, this article raises three pertinent questions on adaptation in the global South: what is its purpose, how can development inform it, and what institutions in terms of rights and responsibilities are core to it? Focusing on sub-Saharan small-scale agriculture, three main points emerge. Regarding the purpose, adaptation should be a transformative pathway out of poverty, ill-health, and food insecurity. Regarding development, adaptation can learn from how development theory, policy, and practice have addressed women, gender, and environment in varied settings and debates. Regarding core institutions, adaptation must address gender regimes that regulate access to, use of, and control over resources, especially those defining land distribution, labour division, and strategic decision-making power. To conclude, I propose gender-informed research questions for further inquiry.</p>}},
  author       = {{Jerneck, Anne}},
  issn         = {{1862-4065}},
  keywords     = {{Development; Distribution; Empowerment; Environment; Inequality; Poverty}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{403--416}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Sustainability Science}},
  title        = {{Taking gender seriously in climate change adaptation and sustainability science research : views from feminist debates and sub-Saharan small-scale agriculture}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11625-017-0464-y}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s11625-017-0464-y}},
  volume       = {{13}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}