| Sumario: | Significant gender disparities in access to and use of Weather and Climate Information Services (WCIS) must be
addressed to ensure inclusive climate risk management. Policies and programs should intentionally integrate the
voices of women, youth, refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and persons living with disabilities (PLWDs).
Expanding co-design and co-production of WCIS across East Africa is essential to deliver timely, relevant, and
actionable information.
Evidence from Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda demonstrates that WCIS delivers tangible results. Between
38–49% of farmers reported bean yield increases of 0.2–0.3 t/ha, while 31–45% experienced smaller gains of up
to 0.1 t/ha. Additionally, 30–33% of farmers avoided seasonal losses of up to USD 30, and 33–71% avoided losses
of up to USD 100, thanks to impact-based early warning systems. However, these benefits are not reaching ev
eryone equally. Women, youth, persons with disabilities, refugees, and internally displaced persons face barriers
in access, voice, and decision-making power. Men dominate formal WCIS channels, while women often rely on
informal networks and are restricted from acting on information even when they receive it.
These disparities are driven largely by restrictive socio-cultural norms that limit access to agro-weather technol
ogies and exclude women and other vulnerable groups from household and community decision-making. As
these groups are highly dependent on climate-sensitive agriculture, they face disproportionate livelihood risks
from climate variability and extremes.
This brief presents key messages and policy options to close gender gaps and promote inclusive WCIS and stron
ger policy frameworks. Strengthening inclusive access to accurate and timely weather and climate information
will improve risk management, enhance adaptive capacity, and support productivity gains in the agriculture sec
tor. The evidence is clear: when climate information is co-produced with communities, localised, and designed
with gender inclusion, adoption increases, losses decline, and resilience strengthens. This brief outline priority
actions for governments and development partners to scale proven models, mobilize finance, institutionalize
co-production, and close the digital and gender divide in climate services.
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