Community Talks

Walking the uncharted path: gender, marital status, and climate vulnerability among smallholder farmers in Northwestern Ethiopia

Funded by VLIR-UOS and conducted collaboratively between the University of Gondar and the University of Antwerp, the research endeavors delved into a thorough exploration of the intricate relationship between gender dynamics and climate change in Northwest Ethiopia. The  project’s focus was on examining the extent of variation in perception, vulnerability, and agriculture-related adaptation preferences to climate change from a gender and intersectionality perspective.

This Community Talks delves into two research components: one centered on assessing the level of smallholder  farmers’ intrinsic vulnerability using Categorical Principal Component Analysis (CATPCA) and the other one on the intersection of gender and marital status. The objective was more specifically to investigate to what extent the intersection of a person’s gender and marital status determine his or her level of vulnerability to climate induced shocks.

The researchers' findings add to the intersectionality literature by showing how different social identities related to marital status, gender and age interact to bring about different outcomes for different people in relation to their ability to cope with and adapt to climate change impacts. Furthermore, we confirmed that the intrinsic vulnerability analysis could be used as a feasible framework to identify the most vulnerable groups of households, identify factors that lead households to be more vulnerability and prioritise realistic adaptation strategies relevant to the specific setting. Finally, the researchers also more specifically explore how women perceive and navigate the challenges posed by climate change in agriculture. The analysis not only sheds light on the distinct vulnerabilities faced by women but also unveils their unique insights and preferences in adopting climate-resilient agricultural practices.

Speakers

• Dereje Amene Yimam, University of Gondar and currently Doctoral Researcher at Wageningen University and Research)Prof.
• Nathalie Holvoet, University of Antwerp
• Tewelde Adhanom, former Associate Professor of Gender and Development, University of Gondar and currently Director of Agora Consulting

Improving Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health through a Participatory Parent-Child Communication Intervention in Uganda

In Uganda, high rates of teenage pregnancies and HIV persist, especially due to limited sexual and reproductive health education. This project aims to empower parents in rural areas to communicate effectively about these topics.

The project aimed to improve young adolescents’ access to comprehensive SRH information by improving the communication capabilities of parents and guardians in rural southwestern Uganda.

Considering the cultural sensitivity, the project employed a community-based participatory research design, implemented and evaluated parent-adolescent communication intervention that covered 284 dyads.

The intervention was translated into a contextualised parent-child communication manual and an adolescents' sexual and reproductive health clinic was established at Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda.

Have these objectives been achieved? What unexpected obstacles did they encounter? What impact have they generated?

During this Community Talk, the involved researchers will share their experiences, findings, and lessons learned on this project.

Speakers

• Prof. Viola Nyakato: sociologist and gender expert at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST)
• Prof. Souheila Abbeddou: Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent Universiy