Paper short abstract:

.Climate change threatens food security, and particularly affect women farmers who balance household care duties with agricultural work. This paper examines how sustainable agricultural practices adoption and care responsibilities impact Nigerian smallholder farmers' welfare through a gender lens.

Paper long abstract:

The adverse impacts of climate change demonstrate significant heterogeneity across demographic groups, with empirical evidence indicating disproportionate effects on marginalized populations. Female farmers particularly exhibit vulnerability due to a dual constraint paradigm: substantial domestic care obligations coupled with restricted access to agricultural resources, technological innovations and information systems. A gender-responsive approach to sustainable agriculture ensures that the distinct needs and priorities of both men and women are recognized and addressed in CSA design and implementation, aiming for equitable benefits. This study examines how CSA adoption and care responsibilities influence smallholder farmers' welfare outcomes through a gender lens, contributing to existing literature in three ways: by analyzing gender-specific factors affecting CSA adoption in Nigeria, by investigating how care roles influence agricultural participation across genders, and evaluating CSA adoption's impact on household welfare, measured through food consumption scores and dietary diversity. Methodologically, the study employs secondary data analyzed using descriptive statistics, Multivariate Probit Regression (MVP), and Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression models. Findings reveal suboptimal CSA adoption rates, with a notable gender disparity favouring male-headed households. While women's extensive care responsibilities constrain their agricultural participation, female-headed households that successfully adopted CSA practices demonstrated superior improvements in welfare outcomes. These results suggest that policy interventions should simultaneously address women's care burden while promoting CSA adoption, potentially yielding enhanced household welfare outcomes.