Empowering Women in Dairy Farming: Gender Roles, Challenges and Climate Smart Practices in Southern Bangladesh

Women play a critical role in both household management and agricultural production in rural Bangladesh. In Dumuria Upazila, Khulna district, it is well known that women dairy farmers contribute significantly to household income and food security. However, they face socio-economic and gender-based barriers that affect their access to resources, decision-making power and adoption of modern technologies. This study explores gender roles, access to credit, ownership perception and the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices among women dairy farmers, who spend their time mostly on the farming.

A qualitative interviewfor gender analysis was conducted among 133 women dairy farmers selected from a broader population of 3,050 women aged 20 to 89 years in Dumuria Upazila of Khulna district. The family income of those farmers comes mostly from dairy farming. Data were collected through 12 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and 3 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) on demographics, household size, educational background, farming experience, access to credit, financial and decision-making involvement, asset perception and adoption of climate-smart technologies. The responses were analyzed to understand the gender dynamics and socio-economic conditions affecting the livelihood of those women.

The higher number of the respondents (44 farmers, 33%) were aged between 30–49. Women managed both household and farming responsibilities, with family sizes ranged from 2 to 10 members and dairy farming experience ranging from new entrants to over 30 years. Educational attainment varied. Only 35 (26.31%) respondents had access to credit. Nevertheless, women showed increasing involvement in financial decisions and milk distribution. Although most assets were officially registered in their husbands’ names, 131 (98.50%) women perceived the assets as their own. Joint decision-making in income management was common, though in households with elders or in-laws decisions were largely elder-driven. Regarding climate-smart technologies, only 14 (10.5%) respondents acknowledged familiarity. Nine (6.77%) used biogas plants and two used biogas combined with vermi-composting. Other mentioned to include rubber mats, water pumps and fans-suggesting unintentional use of such technologies. However, 64 (48%) respondents were unaware, 53 (39.85%) marked “N/A” and one responded negatively, highlighting a major awareness gap in climate-smart farming practices. It was concluded from the findings that while women in dairy farming are increasingly participating in financial and household decision-making, their formal financial empowerment, such as buying assets in their names or opening fixed deposit in bank and access to climate-smart technologies remain limited, with a significant awareness gap in sustainable farming practices underscoring the need for targeted education and support interventions.