Paper short abstract:

This paper explores severe disconnects that exist between policy, strategy and on-the-ground implementation of climate change policy in Tanzania, through the voices of diverse interlocutors and with focus on gender transformative climate change adaptation.

Paper long abstract:

It is well established that women and men of different ages and life circumstances, experience climate change differently. Exposure, vulnerability, and adaptive capacity is gendered in contextually specific ways with consequences for livelihoods, and physical and mental health. In Tanzania, as elsewhere, poor women with low educational levels are particularly subjected to discrimination in access to resources, financing-opportunities, employment, training, extension services, and land-rights. Women may have limited decision-making power in the household and community and are often overlooked by governing institutions.

The research project, Himili Pamoja focus on the gendered nature of existing and tentative climate change adaptation processes at household- and district authority levels. National and local authorities shoulder the task of implementing climate change policies and promoting climate change adaptation to reduce vulnerability. District extension officers, often referred to as street-level bureaucrats, are potential agents of change and also important co-producers of climate change adaptation strategies in dialogue with other local stakeholders. However, their role is constrained by lack of adequate funding to promote climate change adaptation, and also by conflicting local interests and priorities. In addition, technical knowledge and capacity to interact, guide and support is hampered. These central disconnects mentioned above stalls positive change and sidelines investments in gender transformative development. This paper presents voices of diverse interlocutors in communities and district offices, living with and navigating within stalled and tentative climate change adaptation-processes.