On 28th March 2026, SLYCAN Trust convened a Climate 2.0 dialogue in Nairobi, Kenya to explore a critical question: What does climate action look like when women are placed at the center?
In partnership between ClimaComms and EthicalX: Climate & Innovation Hub, the session brought together diverse participants including students, legal practitioners and youth advocates to reflect on the challenges faced by women as well as women-led solutions for sustainable, climate-friendly, and resilient entrepreneurship. The following blog post summarizes key discussion points and insights from the dialogue.
Across Africa, women play a central role in agriculture, natural resource management, and local economies.1 They are farmers, entrepreneurs, and caregivers whose contributions are vital to sustaining households and communities.2 Yet, despite this, women continue to face systemic barriers that limit their access to land, finance, information, and leadership opportunities.3 Climate change is intensifying these inequalities, placing greater strain on livelihoods while increasing the demands on women’s time and labor.4
The impacts of these escalating inequalities are far-reaching. In many communities, women depend on climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, making them especially vulnerable to erratic rainfall, droughts, and environmental degradation.5 As resources become more scarce, women and girls often take on increased unpaid care responsibilities, from securing water and food to caring for affected family members, including children and the elderly.6 These pressures in turn can limit women's access to education, reduce their economic opportunities, and heighten exposure to unsafe conditions.7
During the dialogue, participants shared lived experiences that illustrated these realities. They highlighted instances of women engaged in smallholder farming described how erratic rainfall and prolonged droughts have reduced crop yields, forcing them to diversify income sources or rely on informal lending. Similarly, women running small businesses in sectors such as food vending and textiles noted how flooding and supply disruptions directly affect their ability to operate and access markets. This was especially pertinent in the wake of the severe flash floods that plagued Nairobi a few weeks back and caused loss of lives and livelihoods for many inhabitants of Nairobi.8
These experiences are not unique to Kenya. Evidence from SLYCAN Trust’s work in Sri Lanka shows similar patterns, where women entrepreneurs face compounded climate and economic pressures. In one case, a woman seeking a business loan was unable to access formal finance because land ownership, required as collateral, was registered in her husband’s name, forcing her to turn to high-interest informal lenders.9
Despite being at the frontlines of climate impacts, women remain underrepresented in climate governance and decision-making.10 Participants in the dialogue identified persistent barriers, including limited access to finance, exclusion from leadership spaces, and gaps in climate information and technical knowledge. Time poverty, driven by the disproportionate burden of unpaid care work, further restricts women’s ability to engage in climate action.11
Access to finance emerged as a key concern. Participants noted that many women entrepreneurs struggle to access formal financial systems due to lack of collateral, limited credit histories, and high interest rates.12 Oftentimes, financial systems fail to account for structural inequalities such as asset ownership gaps, effectively excluding women from scaling their businesses.13
These challenges are not isolated but embedded within broader social and institutional systems.14 Without deliberate, gender-responsive approaches, climate action risks reinforcing existing inequalities rather than addressing them.15 Ensuring women’s meaningful participation requires structural change, targeted investment, and inclusive policy design.16
While the challenges are significant, the dialogue strongly emphasized that women are not passive victims of climate change, they are active drivers of solutions.17 The dialogue emphasized that women are active agents of resilience and innovation. Across communities, women are driving adaptation efforts, building sustainable livelihoods, and applying indigenous knowledge to respond to environmental challenges.18
Participants shared practical examples of women-led solutions. These included small-scale enterprises adopting climate-smart agricultural practices, such as drought-resistant crops and water-efficient farming techniques, as well as businesses shifting toward sustainable inputs and waste reduction. In urban settings, women entrepreneurs are exploring green business models, including recycling initiatives and eco-friendly products. Among the women-led solutions that were highlighted were the works of Nzambi Matee, a Kenyan mechanical engineer and entrepreneur, who founded Gjenge Makers19 in Nairobi to convert plastic waste into durable paving bricks.20
Women-led enterprises are contributing to climate resilience through sustainable agriculture, green business practices, and innovative resource management.21 At the same time, traditional knowledge systems, often preserved and shared by women, offer critical insights for climate adaptation.22 Recognizing and integrating these contributions into formal climate strategies is essential for developing inclusive and effective solutions. The participants cited the Kikuthuko Women's Group, a group in Machakos that uses traditional sisal weaving to diversify income when rain-fed farming fails.23
Investing in climate education and skills development is also key. Equipping women and girls with knowledge, tools, and networks can unlock opportunities for leadership and innovation, while creating platforms for participation ensures their voices are heard in decision-making processes.24
Participants in the dialogue underscored the need to move beyond commitments toward concrete action. Strengthening accountability through transparent climate finance, robust monitoring systems, and effective policy implementation is critical to ensuring meaningful impact.25
Collaboration plays a central role to enable this. Governments, the private sector, civil society, and development partners must work together to support women-led initiatives and scale up successful models.26 At the same time, practical steps such as expanding access to climate finance, investing in capacity-building, promoting inclusive governance, and reducing unpaid care burdens can help create an enabling environment for women to thrive.27
Ultimately, the message is clear: Climate action is more effective, inclusive, and sustainable when women are at its center. Recognizing women not only as those most affected by climate change but as leaders and innovators is essential to building resilient communities and working towards a more equitable future.28
Patricia is a Junior Research Associate at SLYCAN Trust. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree from Strathmore University. She has experience in legal research, drafting, and policy analysis, and has worked with institutions including AF Mpanga Advocates and CM Advocates LLP. Through her work, Patricia has contributed to research and initiatives focused on climate change, sustainability, and development. She is particularly interested in climate advocacy, human rights, and advancing gender equality.
On 28th March 2026, SLYCAN Trust convened a Climate 2.0 dialogue in Nairobi, Kenya to explore a critical question: What does climate action look like when women are placed at the center?
In partnership between ClimaComms and EthicalX: Climate & Innovation Hub, the session brought together diverse participants including students, legal practitioners and youth advocates to reflect on the challenges faced by women as well as women-led solutions for sustainable, climate-friendly, and resilient entrepreneurship. The following blog post summarizes key discussion points and insights from the dialogue.
Across Africa, women play a central role in agriculture, natural resource management, and local economies.1 They are farmers, entrepreneurs, and caregivers whose contributions are vital to sustaining households and communities.2 Yet, despite this, women continue to face systemic barriers that limit their access to land, finance, information, and leadership opportunities.3 Climate change is intensifying these inequalities, placing greater strain on livelihoods while increasing the demands on women’s time and labor.4
The impacts of these escalating inequalities are far-reaching. In many communities, women depend on climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, making them especially vulnerable to erratic rainfall, droughts, and environmental degradation.5 As resources become more scarce, women and girls often take on increased unpaid care responsibilities, from securing water and food to caring for affected family members, including children and the elderly.6 These pressures in turn can limit women's access to education, reduce their economic opportunities, and heighten exposure to unsafe conditions.7
During the dialogue, participants shared lived experiences that illustrated these realities. They highlighted instances of women engaged in smallholder farming described how erratic rainfall and prolonged droughts have reduced crop yields, forcing them to diversify income sources or rely on informal lending. Similarly, women running small businesses in sectors such as food vending and textiles noted how flooding and supply disruptions directly affect their ability to operate and access markets. This was especially pertinent in the wake of the severe flash floods that plagued Nairobi a few weeks back and caused loss of lives and livelihoods for many inhabitants of Nairobi.8
These experiences are not unique to Kenya. Evidence from SLYCAN Trust’s work in Sri Lanka shows similar patterns, where women entrepreneurs face compounded climate and economic pressures. In one case, a woman seeking a business loan was unable to access formal finance because land ownership, required as collateral, was registered in her husband’s name, forcing her to turn to high-interest informal lenders.9
Despite being at the frontlines of climate impacts, women remain underrepresented in climate governance and decision-making.10 Participants in the dialogue identified persistent barriers, including limited access to finance, exclusion from leadership spaces, and gaps in climate information and technical knowledge. Time poverty, driven by the disproportionate burden of unpaid care work, further restricts women’s ability to engage in climate action.11
Access to finance emerged as a key concern. Participants noted that many women entrepreneurs struggle to access formal financial systems due to lack of collateral, limited credit histories, and high interest rates.12 Oftentimes, financial systems fail to account for structural inequalities such as asset ownership gaps, effectively excluding women from scaling their businesses.13
These challenges are not isolated but embedded within broader social and institutional systems.14 Without deliberate, gender-responsive approaches, climate action risks reinforcing existing inequalities rather than addressing them.15 Ensuring women’s meaningful participation requires structural change, targeted investment, and inclusive policy design.16
While the challenges are significant, the dialogue strongly emphasized that women are not passive victims of climate change, they are active drivers of solutions.17 The dialogue emphasized that women are active agents of resilience and innovation. Across communities, women are driving adaptation efforts, building sustainable livelihoods, and applying indigenous knowledge to respond to environmental challenges.18
Participants shared practical examples of women-led solutions. These included small-scale enterprises adopting climate-smart agricultural practices, such as drought-resistant crops and water-efficient farming techniques, as well as businesses shifting toward sustainable inputs and waste reduction. In urban settings, women entrepreneurs are exploring green business models, including recycling initiatives and eco-friendly products. Among the women-led solutions that were highlighted were the works of Nzambi Matee, a Kenyan mechanical engineer and entrepreneur, who founded Gjenge Makers19 in Nairobi to convert plastic waste into durable paving bricks.20
Women-led enterprises are contributing to climate resilience through sustainable agriculture, green business practices, and innovative resource management.21 At the same time, traditional knowledge systems, often preserved and shared by women, offer critical insights for climate adaptation.22 Recognizing and integrating these contributions into formal climate strategies is essential for developing inclusive and effective solutions. The participants cited the Kikuthuko Women's Group, a group in Machakos that uses traditional sisal weaving to diversify income when rain-fed farming fails.23
Investing in climate education and skills development is also key. Equipping women and girls with knowledge, tools, and networks can unlock opportunities for leadership and innovation, while creating platforms for participation ensures their voices are heard in decision-making processes.24
Participants in the dialogue underscored the need to move beyond commitments toward concrete action. Strengthening accountability through transparent climate finance, robust monitoring systems, and effective policy implementation is critical to ensuring meaningful impact.25
Collaboration plays a central role to enable this. Governments, the private sector, civil society, and development partners must work together to support women-led initiatives and scale up successful models.26 At the same time, practical steps such as expanding access to climate finance, investing in capacity-building, promoting inclusive governance, and reducing unpaid care burdens can help create an enabling environment for women to thrive.27
Ultimately, the message is clear: Climate action is more effective, inclusive, and sustainable when women are at its center. Recognizing women not only as those most affected by climate change but as leaders and innovators is essential to building resilient communities and working towards a more equitable future.28
