This technical note examines the role of women-led cooperatives in Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Nepal in advancing climate adaptation across smallholder agriculture and livestock systems. It highlights interventions―including digital learning hubs, infrastructure, financial services, and renewable energy―that enable collective access to climate information, services, finance, and markets.
The note analyzes key barriers to adaptation and identifies scalable, gender-responsive solutions, including cooperative-based financing modalities, community-embedded extension systems, risk-transfer mechanisms, and stronger institutional and governance arrangements. It underscores women’s leadership, the institutionalization of locally rooted systems, and layered financing approaches as critical to sustaining and scaling climate adaptation outcomes for rural smallholders.