Climate change poses a significant threat to agricultural production, with serious implications for food security. Although climate change is gender-neutral, women are disproportionately vulnerable to its impacts. This coincides with an emerging trend of feminization of agriculture in the Global South. Globally, women make up about 43% of the agricultural workforce, and in South Asia, more than two-thirds of employed women work in agriculture (see Figure 1). And in East Africa, more than half of farmers are women.
Figure 1. Proportion of people working in agriculture in South Asian countries
Source: World Bank, 2020
Although women play a key role in agriculture, their productivity is 20-30% lower than that of men. This disparity is of concern, especially considering women's increasing involvement in agriculture and its impact on food security. A 2023 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report highlights that closing the gender productivity gap could have significant economic benefits, increasing global GDP by US$1 trillion and reducing food insecurity for approximately 45 million people.
Closing the gender productivity gap would bring huge economic benefits, potentially increasing global GDP by US$1 trillion and reducing food insecurity for around 45 million people.
Feminization of agriculture and the status of women in agriculture
One of the major factors behind the feminization of agriculture is the migration of men in search of urban employment opportunities, leaving a labor gap in rural agricultural fields. Moreover, adverse impacts of climate change on agriculture, such as recent heat waves, can negatively impact crop production, encouraging men to diversify their income sources. Hence, many rural South Asian households adopt dual livelihood strategies where family members rely on both agriculture and migrant wage labor, as neither can meet their minimum needs or facilitate economic advancement.
Families adopt a dual livelihood strategy relying on both agriculture and migrant wage work, as neither alone can meet their minimum needs or foster economic advancement.
However, the debate surrounding the feminization of agriculture is highly polarized. On the one hand, it is seen as a positive development for women, with some studies reporting increased decision-making power and asset ownership for women, suggesting that women have gained greater agency. In essence, this trend can be seen as challenging traditional gender roles and norms, paving the way for a more inclusive and equitable agricultural sector.
Conversely, studies link this phenomenon to agricultural distress, as it is often driven by factors such as economic and socio-cultural status. A major challenge for farmers is limited access to land tenure, which limits their ability to access credit. In addition, limited access to agricultural technology and information puts them at a significant disadvantage. Now, the growing threat of climate change further exacerbates these vulnerabilities.
The nexus between feminization of agriculture, climate change and food security
Women are at increased risk as climate change intensifies, as they depend on key natural resources essential for agriculture, such as water and fuel. For example, climatic factors increase workload and time spent on unpaid household and care work. Women spend four hours a day on unpaid household and care work, compared to less than two hours for men. Climate change is therefore known to amplify existing gender gaps in agriculture, with serious implications for the achievement of food security across multiple dimensions, including availability, accessibility, utilization and system stability.
As outlined in the 2024 FAO report “An Unfair Climate,” female-headed households experience 8% higher average income losses due to heatstroke and 3% higher average income losses due to flooding than male-headed households. With a 1°C increase in global temperature, these households will face a 34% higher income loss than men. Given the significant gender gap in agricultural productivity and income, the report notes that if these issues are not addressed, the gap will increase significantly in the future. In other words, climate shocks will lead to increased labor demands on women.
Despite climate finance being an important instrument, it is disturbing that only 3 percent of allocated funds went to the agriculture sector and even less to adaptation efforts. Moreover, an analysis of the climate action plans outlined in 24 countries' Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) revealed a stark gender gap: of over 4,000 explicit climate actions identified in national adaptation plans, only 6 percent mentioned women, indicating a clear gap in gender mainstreaming within climate policy frameworks.
Figure 2 OECD climate finance in the agriculture and land use sector has a gender focus
Source: CGIAR, 2023
Future outlook
Given the enormous contribution of women in agriculture, it is imperative to adopt a gender-focused approach. Empowering women in agriculture holds the key to increasing productivity levels and ensuring food security in the face of the looming threat of climate change.
To advance women's empowerment and build resilience to climate change, policies aimed at eliminating gender disparities in land ownership should be prioritized.
Below are some focus areas to address food security through women's empowerment in agriculture:
Strengthen women's land ownership and access to financial resources: Globally, women produce 45-80% of the world's food supply, but own less than 10% of the world's land supply. To strengthen women's empowerment and increase resilience to climate change, policies aimed at closing gender gaps in land ownership must be prioritized. Secure land tenure not only gives women access to government institutions, but also expands their role in household decision-making. Additionally, owning land allows women to access credit, further empowering them economically.
Provide access to technological resources: A UN study found that women could increase agricultural production by 20-30 percent and reduce hunger by 12-17 percent if they were provided with the same resources as men. This could be done by providing targeted training programs to women farmers to enable them to adopt improved climate resilient agriculture (CRA) practices.
Providing access to digital and financial resources: Further efforts are needed to close the gender gap in digital and financial literacy. Women's participation in decision-making and access to information and resources are essential for the successful implementation of the CSA approach. Equipping women with the necessary knowledge and skills will enable them to adapt to climate change and contribute to sustainable agricultural practices.
Increasing climate finance through gender-specific approaches: Climate finance for agriculture has the potential to reduce gender gaps in productivity. Given the scarcity of climate finance for agriculture, its impact can be maximized by adopting a gender-focused approach. This approach will not only address gender disparities but also increase productivity levels and make farmers more resilient to climate change threats. This in turn will have a positive impact on food security and promote women's empowerment in the agriculture sector.
Sharon Sarah Tawaney is executive assistant to the director at the Observer Research Foundation, Kolkata.
The views expressed above are those of the author. ORF Research and Analysis is now available on Telegram. Click here to access curated content including blogs, long-form articles and interviews.
Source link
