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Project

Empowering Women as Key Leaders in Promoting Community-Based Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction in Niger Delta Region
 

Nigeria
Project ID
108974
Total Funding
CAD 696,000.00
IDRC Officer
Melanie Robertson
Project Status
Completed
End Date
Duration
36 months

Programs and partnerships

Climate Change
Agriculture and Food Security

Lead institution(s)

Project leader:
Andrew G. Onokerhoraye
Nigeria

Project leader:
Ovuevuraye Dicta OGISI
Nigeria

Summary

Rural communities in the Niger Delta are highly vulnerable to climate-related disasters, which also makes them effective incubators of community-based adaptation strategies.Read more

Rural communities in the Niger Delta are highly vulnerable to climate-related disasters, which also makes them effective incubators of community-based adaptation strategies. These strategies are often initiated and led by women, who play crucial roles in building the social fabric that makes such adaptation possible. Empirical investigations of climate variability and long-term change, the vulnerability of women and girls, and local adaptation strategies in the Niger Delta have not been given enough attention.

The project aims to contribute to socially equitable development by promoting women-led, community-based initiatives on climate-change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. The project will focus on Delta State, which is the largest state with settlements in the three main ecological zones found within the region — mangrove swamp, freshwater swamp, and lowland rainforest. The project will conduct research, training, and pilot activities in ten rural communities located in the three ecological zones.

A total of 15 community-based adaptation strategies will be tested, including strategies for water preservation, water use, access to potable water, protection of humans and the built environment from water, as well as income generation, food security, and livelihoods. The adaptation strategies are expected to positively impact 50,000 people living in the selected rural communities.

Regionally, the project is expected to contribute to the implementation of the Delta State Government’s climate change policy by establishing sustainable platforms for interaction and embedding them in existing decision-making organs. As a result, the project will indirectly benefit 30 million people in the Niger Delta region, especially highly vulnerable populations such as women and children.

Research outputs

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Report
Language:

English

Summary

This project was designed to strengthen the ability of women, girls and other stakeholders in rural communities in the Niger Delta to make informed decisions regarding climate change driven pressures on their livelihoods, such as sea level rise and salt water intrusion. Access to information would facilitate planning and disaster risks management. Women and girls are most at risk to climate change impacts due to reliance on climate-vulnerable natural resources, limited assets, and limited access to adaptive measures and disaster risks reduction strategies. Women’s leadership in civil society organizations can provide the base for participation in more formal processes of disaster response.

Author(s)
Centre for Population and Environmental Development (CPED)
Report
Language:

English

Summary

The project collected policy-relevant data regarding social protection for vulnerable households and support for informal food markets affected by shutdowns. Findings of the survey show that partial closure of critical food systems infrastructure (rural producer markets, wholesale food markets and open-air retail food markets) led to shutting down of the traditional marketing system in the Niger Delta region. A major challenge to households during the period of Covid-19 has been access to markets for the purchase of essential items, such as food. Households and women in particular are negatively affected.

Author(s)
Centre for Population and Environmental Development (CPED)
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