Meet the women accelerating climate adaptation action across the globe

Today, 8th March 2023, is #InternationalWomensDay. In this edition of the Adaptation Update, we celebrate the women driving #climateadaptation action across the globe by spearheading green enterprises, advocacy, and locally led action.

Five Young Women CEOs Driving Adaptation Action in Africa

We shine the spotlight on five inspiring winners of the African Youth Adaptation Solutions Challenge #YouthADAPT, an annual competition supporting women- and youth-led entrepreneurship and innovation in #climatechange adaptation across Africa:

• This Kenyan Microenterprise Grows Drought-Resistant Seedlings to Support Smallholder Farmers – Caroline Mwangi reveals how winning YouthADAPT helped Kimplanter Seedlings expand training for?smallholder farmers and bring on board the innovations that they need to shift towards climate-smart agriculture
• How a Waste Management Company in Cameroon Uses Drones to Reduce Flood Risk – Juveline Ngum shares how BleagLee helps urban communities mitigate flood risk by using drones to identify waste in waterways and working with community and youth organizations to collect and dispose of waste.
• Equipping Nigerian Farmers with Drought-Resistant Technology – A Woman-Led Approach – Rejoice Amarachi Usim explains how Simkay Green Global Ventures helps smallholder farmers in rural Nigeria adopt vertical sack farming to?enable year-round production despite changing weather patterns.
• Woman-led Cameroon Startup tackles Climate Change through Sustainable Agriculture – Gislaine Matiedje Nkenmayi shares how Mumita Holdings helps farmers in climate-vulnerable Cameroon produce crops year-round using sustainable methods such as low-cost greenhouses and solar-powered irrigation.
• Nigerian Company uses Hydroponics to Revolutionize Food Growth and Distribution – Ifeoluwa Tryphena Olatayo explains how Suupr Kitchen Technology Company Limited grows vegetables using hydroponics, a cultivation method that does not use soil, to reduce?the impact of weather conditions on food production and transportation.

Learning Laboratory: The Importance of Young Women Leadership for Adaptation Action

• Watch our virtual learning laboratory bringing together young women leaders and experts to share their experiences and solutions for adapting to the impacts of climate change.
• Bridging the Gap: Tackling Climate Change and Gender Inequality through Digital Media – Find out more about one of our featured speakers, young leader Baliqees Salaudeen-Ibrahim

Meet Local Adaptation Champions Empowering Women to Lead their Communities

GCA's Local Adaptation Champions Awards reward innovative, inspiring, and scalable locally led efforts to adapt and build resilience among the most vulnerable communities who are at the frontlines of climate change.

• Building a Women-led Movement for Change at Scale in India – Swayam Shikshan Prayog created the “one-acre” Climate Resilient Farming model: women borrow a parcel of land from their families, to cultivate food crops for their families instead of only water-intensive cash crops
• Better Together: Solar Solutions in Bangladesh to Battle Water and Food Shortages – Rangamati Hill District Council supports community-led climate resilience projects, with women taking the lead for the design, implementation, and follow-up of projects such as a solar powered tube well

Did you know?

10 countries have developed gender and climate change plans in recent years, of which half are in Africa: Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zambia. Most countries do not have gender-sensitive climate policies.

Thank you for reading!

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