Analysis of adaptation strategies of water insecure coastal communities of Tanzania by gender: Case of Mlingotini village in Bagamoyo district

Abstract

Climate change is a global phenomenon that requires significant responses. Its impacts
are already being felt and projected to affect adversely the security of water in coastal
areas. To develop effective adaptation plans, policies and strategies require
disaggregated data on both men and women’s response to climate change. Therefore,
this paper fills this knowledge gap by analyzing adaptation strategies of water insecure
coastal communities of Tanzania in a gender perspective. Purposive sampling
procedure was used to identify 97 households from village households register for a
household survey. It was also used to select study area, key informants and discussants
for focus group discussions. Results indicated that the problem of water insecurity has
been increasing in the study area compared to the past 30 years. Most of response
strategies pursued by women in the study area are different from those employed by
women in semi-arid regions while to men most of response strategies are similar. The
study recommends that climate change adaptation measures, plans and policies should
take into account differences between men and women’s responses to water
insecurity. Furthermore, climate change adaptation interventions to water insecurity
should address gender vulnerabilities at the household level.

Key words:  Coastal communities, water insecurity, adaptation strategies, gender