Women play vital roles as actors and innovators in food systems worldwide. In many societies, they are the primary food producers, accounting for between 60% and 80% of the national food stock. Women are also deeply engaged in other stages of the food value chain, from processing to consumption. Their multiple roles provide them with specific abilities that strengthen food systems during times of crisis.

Women’s contributions in food systems are often unpaid, undervalued and overlooked. And the necessity of climate adaptation now imposes further burdens on them to overcome. Agricultural transformation is often technocratic and top-down, with little to no attention to women’s issues and gender equality. Also, these women are often depicted as “passive victims” rather than agents of change in realising plans for climate-resilient and sustainable food systems.

We spent time in the southern province of Zambia in April 2023 and in December 2024, conducting participatory research on these very questions. What we discovered strongly challenges these paradigms. Not only are women in Southern rural Zambia collaborating and innovating to adapt to climate shocks, but these successful strategies have also inspired men in the community, forming a crucial layer of community resilience.

Our work underscores the need to foreground women’s leadership in food systems, which face increased duress from climate-related events.

A Landscape in Crisis

Unpredictable rainfall patterns, in-season dry spells, and droughts are not new to Muchila and Lusitu, which are located in the Namwala and Chirundu districts, respectively. Traditionally, these communities have depended upon rain-fed agriculture and livestock rearing for livelihoods, food security and economic stability—and suffer when conditions worsen.

Yet last year marked a significant tipping point and the acknowledgement of a crisis. Zambia’s government declared a national state of emergency due to a drought crisis that affected more than a million families, disrupted food production and created knock-on effects both for local markets and broader economies nationwide.

The challenges were severe. Muchila and Lusitu experienced total crop failure followed by unprecedented levels of food insecurity. And as traditional adaptive strategies broke down, some people in these communities  have resorted to harmful coping mechanisms to survive, such as early marriages of adolescent girls and school dropouts, as well as theft of food stocks and livestock. Survival sex and prostitution are also widespread among young women.

Past climatic stressors and present drought-related shocks have reshaped the livelihood realities of Muchila and Lusitu. Yet the collision between climate, traditional norms, and structural inequalities now places women at the forefront of the struggle.

Socially-Constructed Vulnerability

Historically, perceptions of vulnerability to climate change and food insecurity have ranked high among women in both Muchila and Lusitu because of poverty and restricted economic independence. “We know how to cope with droughts, but we do not have the means to do so,” lamented one woman in Lusitu.

Yet as these droughts have intensified, the obstacles faced by women seeking to adapt to them have become much greater.

A male-dominated patriarchy is deeply embedded in Muchila and Lusitu, resulting in gender disparities in land ownership and participation in community committees for natural resource management. Married women can access land only through their male spouses, while those in female-headed households possess greater household authority but are generally poorer.

A woman returning from the field, Lusitu

Women are primarily involved in food production for consumption, while men cultivate cash crops for sale. This division of labour has left women with little to no control over the income generated by family farms. A lack of land ownership by women has also hindered their ability to access agricultural loans, for which land is often used as collateral. Since land is owned primarily by men, women are excluded from obtaining such financial assistance.

To achieve some economic independence, women have begun cultivating their own plots. This shift has not improved their financial situation yet; women use their gains to offset climate-induced losses, including the purchase of food and school supplies. It has also increased their work burden compared to that given to men.

On the one hand, water points in these communities have dried up, and firewood is scarce, forcing women to walk longer distances to fetch essential resources for cooking. A lack of clean water and sanitation creates burdens in another way, as growing illnesses and diseases increase women’s healthcare duties.

The gender inequalities which existed long before climate change are also affecting women’s adaptive capacities in a profound way.  Thus, much of their growing vulnerability is a socially constructed experience.

Sharing Successful Strategies

Despite facing disproportionate livelihood challenges, women in Muchila and Lusitu have not accepted them passively. Instead, they have initiated the most effective community-driven adaptation strategy identified by our research.

Before water became scarce, women engaged in home gardening. This practice was seen a way to stabilised household food security and get economic independence, allowing them to store food stocks for periods of lower productivity, while earning their own money by selling any surplus in their neighbourhoods.

When droughts intensified and farm productivity decreased despite the use of early-maturing crops, these women pooled financial resources from their village banking groups and sunk solar-powered boreholes near their homes to supply water for their drip-irrigated gardens. This initiative allowed them to expand their gardens and extend the growing season. They produce not only fresh vegetables, but also winter maize, which they sell to satisfy demand in nearby larger towns.

Inspired by Muchila and Lusitu’s women, men in these communities have also decided to engage in gardening to overcome the economic hardship imposed by severe drought conditions. “We learnt how to do gardening because we saw women doing this and that it was bringing money to them,” explained one man in Muchila.

Women shared their successful gardening experiences with male community members to help them grow their gardens. Their crucial knowledge of suitable crop varieties cultivated at specific times of the year made their help even more effective. “They are more capable than we are to predict changes in rainfall patterns due to their strong connection with resources,” affirmed one male respondent in Lusitu.

A woman showing us her garden, Lusitu

Thus, gardening is now a widely adopted diversification strategy and provides all farmers with greater flexibility to grow different types of vegetables depending on the amount of water available. These crops have become the most reliable source of income and food security for households in Muchila and Lusitu.

It is a powerful example of how the abilities and skills that women have acquired through their socially assigned roles and responsibilities not only form the basis of their own adaptive capacities but also become crucial elements of community resilience.

Making the Invisible Visible

While listening to women’s needs and concerns is important, without making the “invisible visible,” there will not be enough progress towards women’s empowerment and gender equality. Celebrating the successes that women have achieved—and shared—in Muchila and Lusitu, and including men in such processes provides new paths forward for entire communities.

If we are to transition towards more sustainable and climate-resilient food systems, women’s roles and contributions must be central to any solutions. They are and must be seen as part of broader efforts to address the discriminatory norms and power dynamics