Journal of Cleaner Production 432 (2023) 139734 Available online 13 November 2023 0959-6526/© 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contributions of women’s collective farming to women’s agency in the Upper Indus Basin in the face of climate change Kosar Bano a , Kanwal Waqar b , Amjad Ali c, d, * a International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Nepal b International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Pakistan c Department of Development Studies, Karakoram International University, Hunza Campus, Pakistan d Department of Economics, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom 37491-13357, Iran A R T I C L E INFO Handling Editor: Xin Tong Keywords: Gender Gender analysis Collective farming Women’s agency Climate change ABSTRACT A consortium managed project in the Upper Indus Basin of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, supported the creation of women’s collective farming. The component of the project related to water resource management for agriculture was implemented in Hunza district, where in three sites, the communities encouraged women farmers to engage in the pilot interventions related to innovative water resource management technologies and improved farming practices to overcome climate-induced issues for farmers. This paper analyzes the situation of women as col- lective farmers and its contributions to women’s agency. The study used a gender analysis framework, and data was collected through quantitative and qualitative research methodologies in the project site areas. The study’s fndings show that climate change has created issues more for women farmers being at the forefront in handling and tackling the impacts through various measures. It shows that collective farming and networking is an appropriate tool for women to challenge norms and stereotypes that hinder them from being part of the decision- making at various levels. Furthermore, it helps women to minimize drudgery by sharing burdens, using appropriate technology, and sharing their successes and issues while working together. Based on the fndings, this study suggests that policy decisions to implement such initiatives at a more macro level will help involve women at various levels of decision-making, minimize their drudgery, expand the choices of women farmers, and overall contribute to the agency. 1. Introduction Women contribute equally to agriculture, being primary custodians of agriculture-related activities, water management and reproductive, care work and social service in Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) countries. Due to men and youth outmigration for education or better livelihood opportunities, they must take care of agricultural activities and house- hold chores (Goodrich et al., 2017, 2019, 2022; Tamang and Subedi, 2019; Hussain et al., 2021). Climate change also adds more vulnera- bilities by increasing workload due to various climatic induced hazards for which they are supposed to use multiple adaptive measures. How- ever, their contributions come under the unpaid work category. Poli- cymakers and planners have so far overlooked their contribution resulting in limited, if not no, access and control over land, information, capital, credit, and other essential inputs (Drucza and Valentina, 2018; Goodrich et al., 2017, 2022; Vorley, 2002; Hussain et al., 2021). However, it is estimated that if rural women have the same access to agricultural resources as men, the agriculture yields could increase by 20–30%, and the total number of hungry people worldwide would reduce by 12–17% (FAO, 2013). Women are equally marginalized at micro, meso, and macro levels as their voices, whether in agriculture, water management, or care, are unheard at the household level, com- munity level and more signifcant societal level (Hussain et al., 2021). Development organizations increasingly stress the signifcance of “investing in women” to ensure food security, sustainability, and fair- ness in agricultural and rural development. Collaborative efforts offer several advantages for enhancing the position of small-scale farmers in the marketplace. These benefts encompass effcient delivery of re- sources and training, cost savings through economies of scale, and increased negotiation power. Many development agencies view collec- tive action as a primary approach for enhancing rural livelihoods. However, women small-scale farmers encounter gender-specifc and * Corresponding author. Department of Development Studies, Karakoram International University, Hunza Campus, Pakistan. E-mail addresses: Kosar.Bano@icimod.org (K. Bano), kanwal.waqar1985@gmail.com (K. Waqar), Amjad.eco@kiu.edu.pk (A. Ali). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Cleaner Production journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jclepro https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.139734 Received 11 August 2023; Received in revised form 28 October 2023; Accepted 10 November 2023