In the face of global climate change, the United Nations has issued a stark warning – women who run farms and rural households in poor nations are disproportionately feeling the brunt of climate crises. Not only do they bear the brunt of climate-induced hardship, but they also face discrimination when they seek alternative sources of income to cope with these challenges.
Income Disparity During Climate Crisis
A recent report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) titled “The Unjust Climate,” revealed alarming disparities. It found that female-headed rural households lose on average 8% more of their income during heatwaves and 3% more during floods than their male counterparts. This discrepancy amounts to a per capita reduction of $83 due to heat stress and $35 due to flooding. Taken together, that’s an annual total of $53 billion in lost income in impoverished countries.
The FAO warns, “Considering the significant existing differences in agricultural productivity and wages between women and men, the study suggests that if not addressed, climate change will greatly widen these gaps in the years ahead.”
The data used in the report was gathered from a survey of 100,000 rural households across 24 poor and middle-income countries. The FAO then integrated this data with 70 years of precipitation and temperature data.
Government Plans Overlook Women and Youth
The report also highlighted that government plans to address climate change and promote adaptation strategies often overlook the specific vulnerabilities of rural women and youths. Of the more than 4,000 proposals in the national climate adaptation plans of the countries surveyed, only a paltry 6% mentioned women.
In many impoverished countries, women face discrimination in their ability to have rights to land or to make decisions over their work. As climate crises reduce farm and livestock productivity, forcing women to diversify their income sources, they face further discrimination in gaining access to information, financing, and technology.
Call for Targeted Strategies
The FAO report called for targeted strategies to address the unique vulnerabilities of rural households led by women. Qu Dongyu, FAO’s director general, highlights the urgency of this issue. He said, “Social differences based on locations, wealth, gender, and age have a powerful, yet poorly understood, impact on rural peoples’ vulnerability to the impacts of the climate crisis.”
“These findings highlight the urgent need to dedicate substantially more financial resources and policy attention to issues of inclusivity and resilience in global and national climate actions,” he added.
The World Bank states that three-quarters of the world’s poor live in rural areas, and many of them depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Thus, it is clear that addressing the injustices faced by rural women is not only a matter of gender equality but also a crucial step towards tackling global poverty.
The world must heed the warnings of this report and take action. The effects of climate change are not just environmental, but social and economic as well. By ignoring the plight of rural women, we risk exacerbating inequality and poverty. It’s time to act – for the sake of our planet and its people.
