Women’s coping and adaptation strategies to climate change: a case of the Dodoma Region

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ABSTRACT Climate change is escalating in intensity, frequency, and complexity. Its related threats have profound implications for humanity, particularly women. Measures to cope with and adapt to it have been researched in general and does not focus on the role of women in the specific community, who bear the brunt of the strife associated with climate change. It is from this view that this research assesses the effects of women’s coping and adaptation mechanisms to climate change. Data were collected through household surveys, key informant interviews, observation, and documentary reviews. The collected data were descriptively analysed with the aid of SPSS version 20 and Microsoft Excel. Results indicate that communities understood climate change in terms of variability in rainfall patterns and amounts, water availability, increased incidences of drought, and decreased agricultural yields. Such events reduced agricultural productivit and led to the reoccurrence of food insecurity. Women grew drought-tolerant and early-maturing crop varieties, walking long distances to fetch water, crushing pebbles, and engaging in small vending businesses, which had some effects, including falling into family conflicts, diseases, and food insecurity. The study suggested that there is a need for upscaling awareness and capacity building on good agricultural practices, the provision of loans to small vending businesses, and the provision of inputs that assist women to cope with climatic changes smoothly.