−ž Women and Coping Strategies for Adaptation to Climate Change Using Agrobiodiversity Resources in the Rainfed Highlands of Yemen Public Disclosure Authorized Prepared for the World Bank Public Disclosure Authorized By Dr. Ameen AlHakimi Eng. Anhar AbdulKarim Ya¶ni ˜Ž ˜Ž žž Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized 1 Table of Contenets 1- Introduction..................................................................................................................... 3 1.1 – General Introduction: ............................................................................................. 3 1.2 Location and Area of Yemen..................................................................................... 3 1.3 Climate ....................................................................................................................... 4 1.3 Climate ....................................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Yemeni mountainous heights:.................................................................................... 6 1.5 Population: ................................................................................................................. 7 1.6 Agricultural activity:.................................................................................................. 8 1.7 Animal production ..................................................................................................... 9 1.8 Main Problems in the Agricultural Sector in the Republic of Yemen:.................. 10 2. Methodology for study................................................................................................... 13 2.1 Reference studies: .................................................................................................... 13 2.1.1 Bio-agricultural diversity and agricultural local knowledge and its importance in Yemen: ................................................................................................................... 13 2.1.2 What has been done in Yemen to preserve agricultural local knowledge and experiences and genetic resources and the gap to be bridged or adjusted in this regards........................................................................................................................ 14 2.2.3 Some current activities of Yemeni universities and governmental and non- governmental research centers and NGOs in the area of genetic resources and biodiversity................................................................................................................. 15 a. Yemeni universities:........................................................................................... 15 b. The Public Authority for Researches and Agricultural Guidance:.................. 17 c. National Committee for Genetic Resources....................................................... 22 d. Non-governmental organizations and associations........................................... 24 2.2 Reference study on what has been done in Yemen concerning gender and bio- agricultural diversity ..................................................................................................... 28 3. Determining Areas of Explorative Studies: .................................................................. 35 4. Mechanism of conducting workshops ........................................................................... 38 5. Study outputs:................................................................................................................ 41 5.1 Bio-agricultural diversity............................................................................................ 41 Grazing ................................................................................................................... 72 6. Characteristics of communities or regions covered by the study:................................ 76 7. Development of a work methodology for knowledge collection and preservation:..... 91 8. Existing NGOs and local civil society organization:..................................................... 93 2 1- Introduction 1.1 – General Introduction: This study aims to enhance the role of the rural woman in facing the negative impacts of climate changes through benefiting from local knowledge, gained experiences by mothers and grandmothers in areas of rainy mountains and heights in Yemen in the management and maintenance of bio-agricultural diversity as well as knowing how to benefit from varied harvest and the benefit of local crops, vegetables, grazing plants, trees, small trees in order to meet requirements of food, health, living of the population and to continue their activity and maintenance of the agricultural and the environment there by mitigating the potential damages of climate changes. Through this consultation proposes which can be followed to achieve the general objective of the study for the role of women in dealing with adjustment strategies to climate changes by benefiting from the bio-agricultural varied sources in the rainy heights of Yemen. The objectives of the consultation are: • Developing a work mechanism that enables dealing with rural women, analyzing gender vision in order to document and exchange experiences and revive them, and benefiting from ability of farming women in involving and effectively contributing and maintaining bioagricultural diversity. • Finding a way to preserve genetic resources for Yemeni farmers especially those concerning valuable experiences of the farming woman in such a way that enhances preservations of bio-agricultural diversity and facing climate changes by relying on this knowledge and building on the empowerment of mechanisms that would be dealt with and inserting some of such treatment and practice them to ensure fixed sources of woman and her family for living requirements and needs for a confronting future climate disasters. • Knowing where to conduct the study. 1.2 Location and Area of Yemen The Republic of Yemen is located in the Arabian Peninsula in the south east of Asia. Yemen is considered one of the most fertile and populated areas in the Arabian Peninsula. It is located between latitudes 12 and 14.20 to the north and longitudes 45 and 45.20 to the east. Therefore it is clearly influenced by orbiter and tropical climate phenomena. Yemen is bordered to the south by the Arab Sea and Indian Ocean; from north it is bordered by Saudi Arabia; Oman from the east and Red Sea from the west. The total area is 55.5 million acres. Yemen is administratively divided into 20 governorates in addition to the capital secretariat. 3 ˜ ˜˛−ˇ 4 1.3 Climate Yemen is located in the extension of the tropical north climate areas and semi-tropical climate of the area. The geographic variance in Yemen plays a big role in the differences of temperature and climate on various Yemeni areas. Climate varies according to elevation. Coastal plains are hot and sandy most times of the year. Heights are warm in summer, however winter nights (October-March) are very cold especially in very high mountains. Rainfall average is low in general; however temperature is usually high especially in summer. According to climate and agricultural characteristics, Yemen is divided into three main regions: coastal region, eastern plain, and mountainous heights. The average temperature in the coastal region ranges between 24°-35°, and rainfall average ranges between 10-100ml. in the eastern plain the average temperature ranges between 19°-33°, and the average rainfall ranges between 50-100ml. The average temperature in mountainous heights ranges between 10°-22°; the average rainfall ranges between 200- 600ml, except for wet heights in Ibb city and its surroundings, Mahweet, Hajja, Raima, and Sana’a as the average annual rainfall reaches over 1000ml a year. Map (2) indicating four different climate regions in Yemen 5 1.4 Yemeni mountainous heights: Mountainous heights are considered one of the environmentally agricultural areas which extend from Sada governorate in the north (borders with Saudi Arabia) through Hajja, Mahweet, Amran, Sana’a, Raymah, Dhamar, Ibb, Al-Baidha, Al-Dhale, Taiz, and part of Lahj and Abyan governorates in the south (overlooking Arab Sea and Aden Gulf). Mountainous heights are distinguished by varied geography starting from 500 meters elevation above sea level up to 3670 meters on the peak of Jabal Al Nabi Shu’aib (Prophet Shu’aib Mountain) close to Sana’a. Agricultural activities which rely on rainfall to a large extent in these governorates and annual rainfall varies from 200 millimeter to more than 800 millimeter. Therefore dry agricultural systems (very dry) could be seen as well as dry, semi-dry and semi-wet systems. The temperature varies according to topography and elevation from sea level. After every 100 meters, temperature decrease by 1°. This makes variation large in the agricultural environment of heights in addition to variance of surface and its topography from very sloppy areas to basins which are plain areas surrounded at their borders by mountain chain or valleys for the rain flood to gather in. This variance in rain, climate, and agricultural soil has led to the variance of agricultural crops from one area to another. In addition, the concentration of population at high density on mountainous heights and their reliance on farming as a basic means for settling and living until early seventies of the past century due to their isolation in these areas and lack of roads that enable connecting