Integrating Sustainable Carbon Farming and Gender Equality: A Critical Interdisciplinary Review

Abstract

Sustainable carbon farming has emerged as a vital strategy in combating climate change, enhancing soil health, and promoting ecosystem resilience. However, the intersection of carbon farming practices with gender equality remains underexplored. This review synthesizes interdisciplinary research on how sustainable carbon farming initiatives impact, and are impacted by, gender dynamics, particularly in rural and agrarian societies. Drawing on over twenty academic sources from environmental science, gender studies, and agricultural economics, the paper develops a dual-framework analysis-ecological sustainability and gender inclusion—to explore the synergies and conflicts in implementing gender-equitable carbon farming policies. The findings show a critical gap in equitable participation, benefit-sharing, and decision-making roles for women, despite their central role in land stewardship. The study concludes with policy recommendations for mainstreaming gender into carbon farming programs, stressing the need for participatory models, capacity-building, and equitable access to climate finance.