Women's Participation in Climate-resilient Homestead Gardening in Bangladesh’s Haor Region: A Localised Pathway to Achieving SDGs 2, 5, and 13

Abstract

Climate-resilient homestead gardening is one effective approach that enables rural households, particularly women, to sustain food production throughout the year by applying flexible methods suited to shifting environmental challenges. In rural Bangladesh, homestead gardening typically includes growing vegetables, fruits, and medicinal herbs in the spaces surrounding the household. This study explores women’s participation in climate-resilient homestead vegetable cultivation in the haor region of Bangladesh, emphasising its potential to address Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 13 (Climate Action). Conducted in six unions of Tahirpur Upazila in Sunamganj District, a total of 100 women were randomly selected as the sample for the study from a population of 250 farmers who were interviewed using a pre-tested interview schedule from November to December 2024. Data were analysed using SPSS software-2025 version and MS Excel. Findings revealed that 44% of women demonstrated a high level of participation in climate-resilient gardening, 37% participated moderately, and 19% had low involvement. Key factors to consider in homestead vegetable cultivation included cultivating vegetables based on household nutritional needs (90%), maintaining multiple seedbeds (89%), using clean water and fertile soil (87%), ensuring proper sunlight and air circulation (86%) and applying organic compost (84%). However, practices like avoiding sowing during extreme conditions (45%) and timely planting (52%) showed lower adoption. Constraints such as lack of irrigation (ranked 1st), time scarcity due to domestic work (2nd), and limited access to quality inputs (3rd) were predominantly reported. Correlation analysis revealed that farming experience (r = 0.730, p < 0.01), extension media contact (r = 0.767, p < 0.01), and family size (r = 0.258, p < 0.05) were significantly associated with participation level, while variables like age, education, marital status, land size, occupation and training were not. This finding underscores the critical role of experimental knowledge, information access and household capacity in enabling climate-adaptive practices. The study highlights the value of supporting women-led homestead gardening through training and extension programs to build resilience in climate-vulnerable regions. By strengthening extension services, enhancing training and integrating gender-sensitive strategies, policymakers and development agencies can scale these practices to build more inclusive, resilient and food-secure rural communities.