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Women farmers in many developing countries are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and lack the ability to adapt quickly due to their limited access to resources such as land, capital and technology. As a result, they are less likely to be able to adopt Climate-smart Agricultural Approaches (CSA) approaches that can reduce the negative impacts of climate change. Developing countries must prioritize investments in climate-smart agriculture to ensure that women farmers can access the resources they need to adapt to a changing climate. We conducted a forthcoming systematic review of interventions to promote CSA approaches. The review aimed to determine the effectiveness of the interventions in increasing the adoption of CSA practices and decreasing the use of harmful agricultural practices by women farmers. After systematic search and screening, eight impact evaluations (two randomized controlled trials and six quasi-experimental studies) were included. Overall, the evidence is concentrated in six countries: Bangladesh, China, Ghana, India, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The findings from these studies suggest that gender-responsive training and education through Farmer Field Schools led to increased participation of women farmers. This involvement led to increased knowledge retention, improved decision-making and enhanced adoption of recommended CSA approaches. It was observed that when women farmers are actively involved in decision-making processes and have equal access to information and resources, they are more likely to adopt improved CSA approaches. The meta-analysis indicated that knowledge dissemination approaches have proven to be highly effective in enhancing farmers’ knowledge and adoption of specific CSA approaches, including integrated pest management techniques, Stress-tolerant Rice Varieties and the use of botanical pesticides.
Targeted efforts to enhance women farmers’ awareness and knowledge about CSA practices and their benefits are effective at increasing their adoption.