Assesment of Climate Change Impacts on Natural Resources and the Different Gender among the Pastoralist Communities of Samburu,Kenya
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Date
2013-03-21
Authors
Hyrine, Munga Gesare
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Abstract
Climate change due to anthropogenic induced global warming is one of the greatest and
defining challenges of the current and future centuries. The Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPGC) has unequivocally affirmed it and directly linked it to
anthropogenic Green-House Gases (GHGs) emissions from fossil fuel burning and land
use changes. Although the impacts of climate change are global, they will be differently
felt and distributed among different regions, generations, age classes, income groups,
occupations and genders. Pastoralists, who inhabit the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands
(ASALs), are among the people most likely to be affected by these impacts because of
their high sensitivity and vulnerability, low adaptive capacities and resistance to climate
change. For several years, they have been managing climate variability, however, the
unprecedented rate arid scale of human induced climate change impacts; droughts and
floods are beginning to pose bigger and more challenges to their livelihood sustainability.
These impacts are affecting men, women and children differently due to different
household roles; use of natural resources; differential access to resources, technology and
education. This study was carried out in Wamba Division in the eastern area of Samburu
County, to assess impacts of climate change on natural resources and gender. Specifically
the study focused on identifying the key natural resources in the district and their use by
different gender, assessing impacts of climatic hazards (drought and flood) on the key
natural resources the subsequent effects on different gender and determination of gender
specific coping strategies. Semi ;tructured questionnaires were administered to 36
households (Manyattas) per ranch randomly selected from five community group
ranches. Key informant interviews, focus group discussions and specified transect walks
were undertaken. The study revealed a 99.4% awareness level of climate change among
communities. The most observed indicators included prolonged droughts (93.9%), loss of
pasture (98.8%), increase in livestock diseases (81.1 %), and drying of water sources
(78.9%). Key natural resources in the area in order of importance were rated as water,
pasture, mountains and hills, medicinal plants, forests, wild animals and crops. The study
showed females use natural resources more than males due to gender roles. Females main
roles were herding of livestock, milking, collecting water, firewood, building materials,
wild fruits and berries, fodder and charcoal burning whereas males roles included
watering livestock, honey and bush meat provision. There were significant differences
between livestock numbers owned in 2010 and those owned in 2005 and 2000 at p<0.05 .
.A general trend of increasing malaria, typhoid, common cold and diarrhoea were
observed and emergence and re-emergence of new livestock diseases. The study further
revealed the females felt more impacts of drought and flood compared to males due to
their many roles that rely on natural resources. The impacts on females were emotional
and physical due to increased productive and reproductive roles. Impacts on males were
more psychological. Females coped by livelihood diversification and diet change while
males coped through herd management. Both genders used medicinal plants to treat and
alleviate livestock and human diseases. The study recommends for the relevant ministries
to introduce and train pastoralists on apiculture to supplement the already failing
livestock production due to climate change a. It also recommends for activities or projects
that can reduce women workload like provision of reliable clean and potable water and
gender mainstreaming in climate change mitigation and adaptation policies.