Women, Environment and Sustainability: Narratives from Women in Climate Smart Agriculture in Zambia

Climate change has increasingly affected agricultural systems and rural livelihoods across Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly among women smallholder farmers who largely depend on rain-fed agriculture. This chapter explores women’s narratives of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) in Mungwi District, Zambia, within the broader context of environmental sustainability and climate resilience. Using a qualitative ethnographic approach, the study examines women’s lived experiences, indigenous ecological knowledge and adaptive farming practices associated with climate variability. The findings reveal that women farmers experience irregular rainfall, droughts and declining soil fertility as major challenges affecting agricultural productivity and household food security. In response, women adopt various climate-smart agricultural practices such as crop diversification, conservation farming, intercropping and agroforestry. The study further shows that women’s understanding of CSA is largely shaped by practical experience and local environmental knowledge rather than technical definitions. Although extension services, NGOs and farmer cooperatives contribute to knowledge dissemination, institutional support remains inadequate due to delayed climate information, weak extension systems and limited access to farming inputs. Women also adopt diversified livelihood strategies to strengthen household resilience and environmental sustainability. The chapter concludes that women are not merely vulnerable to climate change but are active contributors to ecological conservation, sustainable agriculture and community resilience in rural Zambia.