Abstract

 Climate change produces global water insecurity, which has gender-related repercussions, but there is insufficient study on how women’s autonomy and participation in adaption strategies influence local outcomes.

Cognizant of the gap, the study examined the JAL SAHELI (friend of water) initiative in the Jalaun district of Uttar Pradesh (India) in order to determine how gender effects local climate change adaptation projects and how it improves women’s empowerment and access to and control over water.

According to the field study, women’s modern relationships with water are evolving. The agricultural land can now be irrigated more readily because of Jal Saheli’s water-saving practices, which also provide locals more options.

The analysis made an effort to highlight Jal Saheli’s political position when determining the utility or futility of fulfilling such obligations independently. This study also examined what motivates local action in a drought-prone region, despite the fact that the national and state governments have financed several water stress measures.

We conducted localised, multi-scalar, critical, and intersectional assessments to facilitate scholarly debates and policymaking. The transect walk provided an overview of the primary social and physical elements of the town. In conjunction with gender data, research methods such as non-observant participation, focus groups, semi-structured interviews, and PRA were utilised.