Making nature-based climate solutions in aquaculture in Southeast Asia monitoring more gender-responsive: what gets measured gets done

 

Aquaculture has the potential to be an effective climate solution that addresses environmental and social challenges, such as pollution, inequality, nutrition and livelihood security. It is critical that the development of nature-based climate solutions (NbCS), such as protection of habitat or expansion of carbon sinks like wetlands, empowers women and enhances their full access to equal opportunities through gender-transformative policies.

Although women play a large role in fisheries and aquaculture in Asia, there is limited relevant sex-disaggregated and gender data. As a result, women’s engagement is not monitored and evaluated in rigorous ways and is likely to be shifting as both are undergoing transitions under economic, climate and social changes. The lack of data as well as a lack of holistic understanding of gender relations in aquaculture leads to serious gaps in monitoring and evaluation schemes that wish to include gender outcomes, including in NbCS aquaculture.

This project will strengthen the design and usage of monitoring to ensure the integration of gender equity and social inclusion in nature-based climate solutions in aquaculture systems and projects. The monitoring will assess how women’s role in decision-making and policy processes for seaweed and rice fish farming in Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines can be strengthened, as women build their capacities to have a voice in value-chain and environmental decisions and to take advantage of broader policy processes.

This project is part of the Nature-based Climate Solutions in Aquacultural Food Systems in Asia-Pacific initiative (AQUADAPT), which is co-financed by Global Affairs Canada and IDRC. AQUADAPT is a four-year, CAD23-million initiative aimed at driving research action toward inclusive nature-based aquaculture solutions and at a better understanding of how such solutions can contribute to climate change adaptation, biodiversity conservation and food security across the Asia-Pacific region.