Women’s Land Rights and Climate Resilience in Kenya. NGOs Navigating Gendered Inequalities

Abstract

Women play a central role in agricultural production and household survival in Kenya, yet many continue to lack secure access to the land they cultivate. Simultaneously, climate change increasingly threatens agrarian livelihoods and disproportionately affects women due to existing gendered inequalities. Against this background, this study examines how non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Kenya work to strengthen women’s land tenure security and climate resilience, as well as what challenges and opportunities shape these interventions in practice. The study applies a qualitative case study design based on six semi-structured interviews conducted with representatives from local, national and international NGOs operating in Kenya. Drawing on Andrea Cornwall’s (2016) multidimensional framework of empowerment together with concepts such as social reproduction, legal pluralism and practical and strategic gender needs, this study analyzes how NGOs navigate in the intersections between legal systems, customary structures and gendered power relations. The findings demonstrate that NGOs understand women’s land rights and climate resilience as deeply interconnected issues, where insecure land tenure limits women’s opportunities to participate in long-term climate adaptation and sustainable livelihood strategies. The study shows that NGOs frequently combine legal aid and practical support with awareness creation, collective organizing and community-based interventions aimed at transforming unequal social relations and strengthening women’s participation and agency. Overall, the study argues that women’s climate resilience cannot be separated from broader inequalities related to land access, governance and patriarchal power structures, making long-term structural transformation central for achieving sustainable and gender-equitable development.