Gender-Responsive Smallholder Agricultural Environmentalism: Implications for Climate Adaptation, Sustainable Livelihoods, and Rural Transformation in Sub Saharan Africa
Abstract
This study argues that gender-responsive agricultural environmentalism serves as an essential mechanism for bolstering climate resilience, enhancing the sustainability of livelihoods, and driving equitable rural development in sub-Saharan Africa. The drive to develop and strengthen smallholder farming systems to accommodate growing food demand has elicited considerable concerns about the preservation of biodiversity and the enduring sustainability of ecosystem resilience in the long term. Therefore, it is imperative to integrate food security objectives that drive agriculture with environmental conservation efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa. Agricultural environmentalism has emerged as a central theme in global sustainability and climate policy dialogues, underscoring the significance of conservation, climate-smart practices, and sustainable resource management, particularly within smallholder farming systems that are characterized by limited resources. Nevertheless, existing models of environmentalism in agriculture frequently overlook gender disparities, disregarding the unequal distribution of environmental knowledge, labor, costs, and benefits between men and women in agriculture. In sub-Saharan Africa, where smallholder agriculture is crucial for livelihoods and food systems, women play pivotal roles in soil management, water conservation, seed selection, livestock care, and biodiversity stewardship. However, environmental policies and interventions often prioritize male landowners, commercial production systems and formal knowledge structures. This study re-evaluates agricultural environmentalism through a gender lens, drawing on evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa. It examines how gender dynamics shape environmental practices, resource access, and adaptation strategies, and how environmental initiatives may inadvertently perpetuate these inequalities. This paper argues that without gender-responsive approaches, agricultural environmentalism risks being socially exclusive and environmentally ineffective. The study concludes by proposing pathways for gender-responsive environmental policies and practices that integrate equity, sustainability, and resilience. Gender, as a social determinant, plays a crucial role in shaping agricultural environmentalism, resilience, and adaptation processes. It is essential for comprehending sustainability transitions and climate vulnerability, particularly in SSA
How to Cite This Article
Never Assan, Betty Mukuwapasi, Reason Rumbidzai Charachimwe, Justice Sibanda (2026). Gender-Responsive Smallholder Agricultural Environmentalism: Implications for Climate Adaptation, Sustainable Livelihoods, and Rural Transformation in Sub Saharan Africa . International Journal of Agriculture Sustainable Farming (IJASF), 2(2), 58-67. DOI: https://doi.org/10.54660/IJASF.2026.2.2.58-67