UN reveals climate change disproportionately affects women farmers who manage households in poor nations

The United Nations issued a stark warning Tuesday, highlighting the disproportionate impact of climate change on women managing farms and rural households in poor countries.

According to a recent study by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), titled “The Unjust Climate,” women heading rural households experience greater economic losses during climate-related disasters and encounter discrimination when seeking alternative sources of income during crises.

The report disclosed that female-headed rural households face an average income reduction of 8 percent during heatwaves and 3 percent during floods, surpassing the losses experienced by male-headed households.

This income disparity translates to a per capita decrease of USD 83 due to heat stress and USD 35 due to floods annually, amounting to a staggering total of USD 37 billion and USD 16 billion respectively in poor countries.

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Given the existing discrepancies in agricultural productivity and wages between genders, FAO cautioned that climate change could exacerbate these gaps if left unaddressed. The study, which surveyed 100,000 rural households across 24 impoverished and middle-income nations, integrated data spanning 70 years of precipitation and temperature patterns.

Furthermore, the report underscored the inadequacy of government initiatives to tackle climate change and promote adaptation strategies tailored to the specific vulnerabilities of rural women and youth.

Shockingly, only 6 percent of the over 4,000 proposals outlined in national climate adaptation plans of surveyed nations acknowledged the unique challenges faced by women.

In many impoverished nations, women encounter discrimination in land ownership and decision-making regarding their work, hindering their ability to diversify income sources in response to climate-induced declines in agricultural productivity. Additionally, they face obstacles in accessing information, financial resources, and technology.

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The report emphasised the necessity for targeted measures to address the distinct vulnerabilities of rural households led by women. FAO’s Director-General, Qu Dongyu, stressed the profound impact of social disparities based on location, wealth, gender, and age on rural communities’ resilience to climate change.

Dongyu urged for increased financial investment and policy focus on inclusivity and resilience in global and national climate initiatives to mitigate these inequalities.