Education and adaptive capacity: the influence of formal education on climate change adaptation of pastoral women

Abstract

ABSTRACT Adaptive capacity is critical for understanding the climate resilience of social-ecological systems. A gendered lens is of particular importance as women are simultaneously one of the most vulnerable social groups to climate change and carry a significant adaptation burden. Individuals’ adaptive capacity is partially determined by learning and cognition, specifically one’s ability to process, assess and react to a changing climate. Formal education experience is thought to increase the learning and cognitive aspects of adaptive capacity. This study uses a novel method, Participatory Adaptation Scenario and Mapping Activity (PASMA) to explore the influence formal education may have on the decision-making processes of pastoral women as they adapt to drought in Samburu, Kenya. Our results indicate participants with formal education may be more risk-averse following drought, but initially assess and react to signs of drought similarly to peers without formal education experience. We argue that increased risk perception might be explained by formal education’s influence on the learning component of adaptive capacity. We also contend that formal education may fail to influence the agency of pastoral women as a result of systemic issues, and therefore limiting the potential of formal education to improve adaptive capacity.