Join the networkBuilding resilience to climate shocks
Gendered lessons from Zambia
Zambia is no stranger to extreme climate events. This policy brief examines how climate shocks in Zambia affect labour participation, household income, and food consumption, and whether these impacts differ by gender.
In recent years, Zambia has experienced severe droughts, floods, and high temperatures, with 2024 bringing the worst drought in six decades. Agriculture, which is the central source of livelihoods and employs a large share of the population, is especially at risk. When rains fail or floods strike, harvests collapse, food prices soar, and household consumption declines.
Climate shocks in Zambia reduce labour participation, household income and food consumption
Women face the greatest burden: female headed households experience sharper declines in food consumption
Female workers are more likely to exit the labour market or shift into self-employment when shocks occur
Social protection cushions income losses but does not protect against declines in consumption, likely due to rising food prices
Yet the burden is uneven. Women are often more vulnerable to the fallout from climate shocks due to structural disadvantages in access to land, labour markets, and credit. Female-headed households face higher risks of food insecurity and income loss. These unequal burdens not only deepen gender inequality but also threaten Zambia’s broader development trajectory.
Despite these realities, there is little rigorous evidence on how climate shocks affect men and women differently in low-income settings. This study helps fill the gap by providing one of the first comprehensive analysis of the labour and welfare impacts of climate shocks in Zambia. It shows that shocks reduce labour participation, income, and consumption, with women bearing disproportionate costs. It also demonstrates that while social protection offers some income relief, it does not prevent welfare losses, highlighting the need for gender-sensitive resilience policies.
The study draws on two major nationally representative datasets: five waves of Zambia’s Labour Force Surveys (2017–21) and two rounds of the Living Conditions Measurement Survey (2015 and 2022). These surveys are linked with detailed historical rainfall and temperature data at the district level, allowing the authors to capture the effects of extreme weather on labour outcomes, income, and household consumption. Their broad coverage and repeated implementation provide a robust basis for analysing labour market and welfare impacts, while linkage with district-level climate data ensures credible identification of weather shocks.
By combining these sources, the research offers a clear picture of how climate shocks shapes Zambia’s economy:
SourCE | Author’s compilation.
Labour markets under stress
Episodes of drought or extreme heat reduce overall labour force participation. Men often remain in the labour market by shifting into informal jobs, which offer low pay but flexible entry. Women, by contrast, are more likely to leave the labour force entirely or move into self-employment and subsistence activities. They also face a higher likelihood of losing both formal and informal employment. These gendered patterns suggest that women’s livelihoods are particularly fragile when shocks occur, underscoring the need for measures that improve resilience in agriculture and small-scale enterprises, so that women can maintain productivity and remain engaged in work during climate crises. Their vulnerability also reflects structural barriers: weaker land rights, limited credit, and fewer extension services reduce women’s ability to adapt, reinforcing exits from stable employment.
Strengthen safety nets to ensure cash transfers and food assistance reach the most vulnerable households, especially those headed by women
Support women’s livelihoods through access to irrigation, climate-resilient seeds, and timely weather information
Tackle structural barriers such as unequal access to land, credit and extension services which limit women’s resilience
Welfare losses deepen inequality
Climate shocks substantially reduce household well-being, with food consumption per person falling between 14–20% during periods of extreme rainfall or temperature. These declines are not evenly distributed. Female-headed households are hit hardest, facing larger consumption drops than male-headed ones. For households at the bottom of the consumption distribution, climate shocks can cut food intake by half, revealing the severe risks faced by the poorest.
Such losses reflect both immediate shocks and structural disadvantages that limit women’s ability to smooth consumption. Stronger safety nets are needed to protect food security and prevent the poorest households from falling deeper into poverty during climate crises.
Social protection provides partial relief but does not prevent welfare losses
Zambia has a long history of social cash transfers and complementary programmes. The study finds that these schemes provide some insurance against income losses during climate shocks. However, they do not prevent reductions in consumption. The likely explanation is that climate events drive food prices upward, eroding the purchasing power of transfers. As a result, households, even those receiving support, still experience food insecurity when extreme weather strikes.
