La Captación de Agua de Lluvia como estrategia de Adaptación al Cambio Climático y Construcción de la Autonomía de las Mujeres en el Semiárido Brasileño

The Cisterns Program aims to mitigate drought impacts by strengthening the adaptive capacity of vulnerable inhabitants in Brazilian semiarid (BSA) regions. Cisterns promote farmers’ ability to adapt to climatic stresses in the long run. This article discusses the impacts of the Rainwater Harvesting Program (RHP) on the livelihoods of women in BSA regions. The policy implementation is assessed in terms of capacity building, social mobilization, and the construction of infrastructure that guarantees rainwater harvesting for human consumption and productive uses. Based on semistructured interviews in case studies in Paraíba, Pernambuco and Ceará States, this article discusses how the gender perspective can improve adaptive capacity. The results from the case studies indicate important changes in female autonomy and increased independence related to water access, resulting in extra time for women to dedicate to other activities, including education. Moreover, the availability of water for production strengthened productive capacity, leading to greater food security and well-being. Last, a sense of economic independence related to income generation from improved production capacity was also reported.