Women, indigenous knowledge systems, and climate change in Kenya

Abstract

This chapter discusses women’s use of indigenous knowledge systems in response to the effects of climate change in Kenya. The chapter shows that regardless of the structural and cultural challenges that women face on land and other property ownership, disadvantageous positions in access to human rights, and unequal opportunities in access to formal education, women have in certain instances applied their indigenous knowledge to respond to the effects of climate change in various parts of the country. Through literature review, case study analysis, and informal conversations, the chapter shows how gendered orientations, perspectives, and discourses have influenced the use of indigenous perspectives by women in Kenya in relation to other African contexts, to contribute towards mitigating the effects of climate change, especially on agriculture and food security.