This paper uses Sesheke district in Western Zambia as a case study on climate variability and gender and relates it to how the livelihoods of natural resource dependent women and men have been affected. It reviews the participation of natural resource dependent communities and gender considerations in the formulation of key policies such as the agriculture and environmental policies in the face of climate variability and how these policies have been implemented in practice at the very local level in terms of a gender-responsive funding allocation and disbursement by government for adaptation activities at local level.