Gender-responsive solutions for managing drought in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) is a highly fragile mountain region that is prone to different natural disasters, including drought. Due to low rainfall, rainfall variability, prolonged dry season, and rising temperature, the region experiences frequent droughts, which have devastating impacts on people's livelihood, the environment, and ecosystems. During disasters, the experiences and coping mechanisms of men and women differ owing to their differing social, political, and economic positions. Women often lack decision-making power even though their contribution to resource management has vastly increased due to high male outmigration in the HKH. As a result, women are more vulnerable to the impacts of drought. It is therefore imperative to take gendered vulnerabilities into account while responding to drought events. To build resilience and sustainability in the region, women should be included in the process of developing plans and policies. This chapter presents a general overview of climate change and drought from a gendered perspective in the HKH region. Based on a literature review and the authors' experiences in drought management and gender and social inclusion efforts, the chapter analyzes risks related to drought and their effects on the population of the HKH. It also presents some good practices in gender-responsive drought preparedness and drought risk reduction in the HKH, along with a few suggestions on scaling them up. © 2023 CRC Press.