To feed a warming world, we must also serve up gender equality
March 24 - This year will be pivotal for the sustainability of food and agriculture as countries submit their new climate strategies ahead of global talks at the United Nation's COP30 meeting in Belem, Brazil, in November. Nearly all countries recognize that the agrifood sector must be both protected and transformed to adapt to climate challenges while continuing to feed billions.
Yet, there is still a missing link to complete the chain for climate-resilient and food-secure futures: gender equality.
Women make up nearly half of the world's agricultural workforce, yet they are not prioritized in climate strategies and are underequipped to deal with the impacts of climate change on farming and food security. Every year, female-headed households experience more income losses due to heat stress and floods compared with male-headed households, yet these vulnerabilities remain absent from key climate plans and policies.
In recent years, there has been reason for optimism as global development agencies and donor countries increased commitments to expand opportunities for women, addressing gender inequalities in food and water systems, including those exacerbated by climate change.
But recent changes to overseas development assistance from the United States, UK and others, leaves the outlook clouded for making significant progress for women farmers.
Gender equality must continue to be a common thread that links climate action and food security, and this will need other countries and donors to step up to close the finance gap. There are glimmers of hope in this regard, including, for example, Australia's recently launched International Gender Equality Strategy.
The success of future food systems relies on both leveraging the skills, knowledge and leadership – as well as meeting the needs – of women as much as men. Research shows that if women farmers had the same resources and opportunities as men, agricultural production could increase between 2.5 and 4%, reducing the number of hungry people globally by 12 to 17%.
As we approach both the Bonn Climate Change Conference in June, which serves as a precursor to COP30, and the U.N. Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Moment at the end of this month, policymakers must keep gender at the top of the agenda in climate and agrifood discussions. Countries must build on the initial progress made at COP29 and maintain momentum for a new Gender Action Plan.
Women farmers are already making vital contributions to climate resilience and food security, but gender inequalities prevent them from reaching their full potential. When women farmers have access to information and resources and are actively involved in decision-making, they are highly responsive to climate-smart agricultural practices. However, limited access to training opportunities and technologies needed to adopt these practices hinders their participation.
Excluding women from agricultural decision-making weakens global climate resilience. A study conducted in Java, Indonesia, found that although women occupy key roles across agricultural value chains, more than 96% of them are left out of decision-making processes. Such exclusion fails to understand women's proven ability to contribute to climate resilience-building efforts and undermines their access to tools that address climate-related challenges. This is costly because women are involved in planting, harvesting and even processing agricultural products; without the right knowledge and tools to build resilience, yields will suffer.
On the other hand, when women are given the right support, they can advance climate-resilient, nutritious and sustainable food systems. In Tanzania 's southern highlands, for instance, climate-induced heatwaves, droughts and floods have affected dairy farmers' ability to feed their cattle and run profitable businesses.
Heifer International, the NGO that I lead, has supported women dairy farmers to adopt grazing practices that limit soil degradation and encourage restoration, improve milk yields through better nutrition and to access markets efficiently. This has increased monthly household income for these women's families by 35%.
In another Heifer-funded project in Bangladesh, women farmers trained in converting cow dung to fuel for biogas production were able to improve manure management, boost crop yields and protect local ecosystems from waste contamination. In addition, the biogas now provides clean cooking energy that is not harmful to health and does not come from unsustainable methods like deforestation.
With a wealth of evidence that speaks to women's indispensable contributions to food systems despite their climate vulnerabilities, the world cannot afford to leave them behind. As countries finalize their new climate strategies, they must make allowances and provisions for gender equality within agrifood plans.
Gender-responsive agricultural research and innovation is a crucial step toward greater gender equality. Emerging climate-smart technologies and practices must be developed with the realities of women farmers in mind, ensuring they are accessible, practical and effective for those on the frontlines of agriculture.
Investing in women farmers is an investment in food security writ large. This includes increasing and following through with women's access to climate finance to ensure that they receive the necessary tools and support to advance climate resilience in their communities. Research shows that if women in agrifood systems have the same access to resources as men, they could increase productivity by up to 30%.
Climate-resilient food systems cannot be built with only half the population. Gender equality is at the heart of ensuring food systems deliver for everyone in a hotter, less stable world.
This year must be a turning point for equitable, sustainable food systems that empower all farmers, regardless of gender.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Ahead of UN climate talks, Brazil fast-tracks oil and highway projects that threaten the Amazon
Months before hosting the U.N.'s first climate talks held in the Amazon, Brazil is fast-tracking a series of controversial decisions that undercut President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's lofty environmental rhetoric and show widening divisions within his cabinet. The country's federal environmental agency approved plans for offshore drilling near the mouth of the Amazon and rock blasting along another river in the rainforest, while Congress is moving to make it harder to recognize Indigenous land and easier to build infrastructure in the rainforest. These efforts would be controversial in normal times. But on the eve of the COP30 climate summit, environmental advocates say they're undermining Lula's claims to be an environmental defender whose administration has made headway in slowing deforestation in the Amazon. 'What will Brazil show up with at COP30 in November?" asked Cleberson Zavaski, president of the National Association of Environmental Public Servants. "Will it be, once again, a list of commitments that contradict what the country itself is putting on the table today — such as expanding the highway network and oil exploitation?' Lula pushed controversial drilling project Protecting the environment was a central part of Lula's presidential campaign in 2022, when he ran against President Jair Bolsonaro, who presided over increasing deforestation and illegal activities in the Amazon, such as gold mining and land-grabbing. But when Brazil's environmental protection agency rejected the state-run oil company's bid to conduct exploratory drilling in an about 160 kilometers (99 miles) off Brazil's Amazonian coast, Lula supported the company's appeal and in February criticized the agency for taking too long, saying it 'seems like it's working against the government.' On May 19, the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources or IBAMA, approved an emergency plan to allow the drilling. A week later, IBAMA approved a rock-blasting operation along 40 km (25 miles) of the Tocantins River to enable year-round navigation, despite criticism from local grassroots organizations. The river, which cuts through the Amazon rainforest, is set to become a critical waterway to ship soybeans, mainly to China. The Federal Prosecutor's Office said the authorization was illegal because it failed to address issues highlighted during the environmental study, and filed a lawsuit seeking to have it overturned. Since taking office in 2023, Lula has argued that Brazil can both further its development while protecting the environment. 'France, the U.K., Norway and the U.S. also produce oil. And Brazil has the cleanest energy mix in the world: 90% of our electricity comes from renewables,' Lula said in an interview to French newspaper Le Monde published last week. Brazil gets most of its own electricity from hydropower and other green energies, while its oil exports, a major source of income for the country, are on the rise. Emails to the president's chief of staff seeking comment were not answered. Congress weakens environmental protections On May 21, the Senate approved sweeping legislation that weakens federal agencies' environmental licensing powers. Among other measures, the bill streamlines review for projects deemed priorities by the federal government, reducing the approval process from three bureaucratic steps to one and imposing a one-year deadline for review. It also elimates reviews for upgrades to existing highways, which could clear the way for to pave the whole of BR-319, a highway that runs about 900 kilometers (560 miles) through the western part of the Amazon. Environmentalists argue that the paving will lead to mass clearing of a pristine area of rainforest. The bill is opposed by Lula's Workers' Party, but it's expected to pass the lower chamber of Congress. Lula could veto all or parts of the bill, but according to press reports he is expected to support of the bulk of the changes with only minor adjustments. Lula has said he has no position on the environmental bill. Meanwhile, Congress has also approved rules that make it harder demarcate Indigenous lands and is moving forward with legislation to weaken licensing rules that, among other impacts. The bill is opposed by Lula's Workers' Party, but according to several press reports Lula will support of the bulk of the changes and will only negotiate minor adjustments. 'It's the perfect combo to wipe out environmental protections and Indigenous land demarcations in the country, accelerate the tipping point of the world's largest tropical forest and set off a carbon bomb against the global climate,' Climate Observatory, a network of 133 environmental, civil society and academic groups, said in a statement. Former U.S. Interior Interior Bruce Babbitt, who sits on the board of the nonprofit Amazon Conservation, said in a statement that the bill 'will lead to massive destruction of the Amazon rainforest. It should be opposed by all Brazilians and friends of Brazil in the international community.' Divisions over the bill appear to sideline Environment Minister The licensing bill has also deepened internal divisions within Brazil's government. Environment Minister Marina Silva said the law will end one of Brazil's crucial mechanisms of environmental protection, but she appears increasingly sidelined in the administration. Local media have reported that Lula's Chief of Staff Rui Costa promised the bill's sponsor that Lula would not oppose changes to licensing rules, and Minister of Transportation Renan Filho said in a social media post that the bill is 'excellent' news that will get the highway project moving. At a press conference last week, Lula praised Silva, calling her 'loyal' and adding that it's normal to have friction between the environmental and other ministries of government. But many see echoes of Lula's previous administration, during which Silva resigned from the same post after being marginalized by the rising influence of agribusiness. João Paulo Capobianco, executive secretary of the environment ministry, reiterated her criticism of the bill in a speech last week, calling it a 'real risk of setback.' He added that Silva is working with Lula's cabinet toward 'a point of convergence between those who seek efficiency — and deserve a response — and the need to preserve the system without dismantling environmental licensing.' ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Reuters
03-06-2025
- Reuters
Brazilian prosecutors seek to block $180 million carbon credit deal
SAO PAULO, June 3 - Brazilian prosecutors are seeking to annul a $180 million carbon offset scheme to support the conservation of the Amazon rainforest that the state of Para signed last year with a coalition of major corporations and wealthy governments, according to a complaint filed on Tuesday. The lawsuit is a powerful blow to the government of Para, the host of the next global climate summit, known as COP30, as well as the carbon credit industry as a whole, which had been trying to reposition itself after years of facing accusations of abuse and fraud. The state of Para holds one of the most vulnerable sections of the Amazon rainforest, the world's largest. In the filing, the prosecutors argued that the state government had failed to inform and consult the communities that would be impacted by the deal. They also said Brazilian law doesn't allow for the pre-sale of carbon credits, which in this case represent the carbon locked away in trees that the project says it will keep from being knocked down. The state, the prosecutors wrote, aimed to approve its carbon credit plan 'before COP 30, which has generated considerable pressure on Indigenous peoples and traditional communities in Para.' Inc (AMZN.O), opens new tab and at least five other companies had agreed to purchase the credits through the LEAF Coalition forest conservation initiative, which the e-commerce giant helped to found in 2021 with a group of other firms and governments, including the United States and United Kingdom. The Para government and Emergent, a non-profit that coordinates the LEAF Coalition, didn't immediately reply to requests for comment. The project was one of the world's first carbon credit schemes to be called jurisdictional, because they cover whole states or countries. The new design was meant to address concerns about private projects partly by making the accounting of credits easier. It aimed to sell up to 12 million credits at $15 each related to the carbon locked away in trees that it would protect from deforestation.
The Guardian
28-05-2025
- The Guardian
World faces new danger of ‘economic denial' in climate fight, Cop30 head says
The world is facing a new form of climate denial – not the dismissal of climate science, but a concerted attack on the idea that the economy can be reorganised to fight the crisis, the president of global climate talks has warned. André Corrêa do Lago, the veteran Brazilian diplomat who will direct this year's UN summit, Cop30, believes his biggest job will be to counter the attempt from some vested interests to prevent climate policies aimed at shifting the global economy to a low-carbon footing. 'There is a new kind of opposition to climate action. We are facing a discredit of climate policies. I don't think we are facing climate denial,' he said, referring to the increasingly desperate attempts to pretend there is no consensus on climate science that have plagued climate action for the past 30 years. 'It's not a scientific denial, it's an economic denial.' This economic denial could be just as dangerous and cause as much delay as repeated attempts to deny climate science in previous years, he warned in an exclusive interview with the Guardian. As the climate crisis has gathered pace, temperatures have risen and the effects of extreme weather have become more obvious, scientists have been able to draw ever more clearly the links between greenhouse gas emissions and our impacts on the planet. So the argument has shifted, Corrêa do Lago believes, from undermining or misrepresenting the science to attempts to counter climate policy. 'It is not possible to have [scientific] denialism at this stage, after everything that has happened in recent years. So there is a migration from scientific denial to a denial that economic measures against climate change can be good for the economy and for people.' The rise of populist politicians around the world has fuelled a backlash against climate policy, most clearly seen in the presidency of Donald Trump in the US, where he has set about cancelling policies intended to boost renewable energy and cut greenhouse gases, and dismantling all forms of government-sponsored climate-related institutions, including scientific research labs. Corrêa do Lago wants to spur a new global effort to persuade people that remodelling the economy away from a reliance on fossil fuels and towards a clean energy future will reap benefits for all people. 'The new populism is trying to show [that tackling the climate crisis does not work],' he said. 'It's the turn of those who believe in the fight against climate change to show and to prove that fighting climate change is possible, and that it can come with economic advantages and with a better quality of life.' Corrêa do Lago is an economist by training – the youngest of five brothers, all of whom became economists. 'My mother was horrified with our lack of originality,' he joked. He has been a career diplomat, having joined Brazil's foreign service in 1983 and serving previously as ambassador to India and Japan. He is also a veteran of the Cop talks – the annual 'conference of the parties', which will take place this year in Belém, near the mouth of the Amazon, in November. 'Most of the answers have to come from the economy,' said Corrêa do Lago. 'Because we have now enough science, enough demonstration of how climate change can affect people's lives. Now we need answers [in the form of policy measures]. We need economists to rally.' Over the past two decades, economists have begun to take on the challenge of the climate crisis, after the 2006 landmark review by Nicholas Stern, the former chief economist of the World Bank, which found it would be cheaper to tackle emissions than to allow them to run unchecked. That contradicted the conclusions of some previous economists, who had claimed it was not worth trying to move away from fossil fuels, or it would be too expensive. Since then, multiple reports have proved the same point. Most recently, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the UN Development Programme produced a joint report this year, with the final version to come out next month, showing that tackling the climate crisis would materially increase economic growth, rather than being a necessary cost. But much mainstream thinking on economics does not take the climate crisis into account. Most governments preparing budgets, for instance, do not include climate impacts in their estimates, and nor do businesses. Many of the economic estimates of climate damage are also far too modest. For Corrêa do Lago, this shows that much more needs to be done. 'Climate has not been incorporated into economic theory in a satisfactory way yet,' he said. 'Because it's a very disturbing element.' Corrêa do Lago also faces the task of corralling 196 nations into producing new national plans on greenhouse gas emissions within the next few months, and meanwhile Brazil is already wrestling with the logistical challenges of holding Cop30 in a rainforest. There was controversy earlier this year over a road being built through the forest to the city, though Brazilian officials said the road had already been planned before Cop30 was awarded to Belém. There are also concerns about the environmental credentials of the Brazilian president as his government continues to approve mines and oil drilling projects. But those pale in comparison with geopolitical headwinds. Trump will not attend the talks and has withdrawn from the Paris agreement, and his actions have emboldened countries that wish to derail progress. Saudi Arabia, Russia, Argentina, Venezuela and a host of other countries, including petrostates and populist-leaning governments, are all possible mischief-makers. Other major economies may be less overtly disruptive but also could fall well short in their commitments, with equally damaging effects. Each country is supposed to prepare a nationally determined contribution (NDC), a complex document setting out targets on greenhouse gas emissions to 2035 and sometimes beyond, and policies intended to meet them. But so far only a handful of countries – not including the EU, China, Japan or India – have submitted their NDCs, even though the deadline passed in February. The UK's plan was submitted last year, along with Brazil's. Brazil and last year's hosts, Azerbaijan, are working on a 'roadmap' that will set out what countries must do to achieve the financial goals that will also be a key issue. The outline will be ready before governments gather in the Amazon in November. For Corrêa do Lago, the hope is that the world can come together to solve the existential crisis of the climate in the way governments did 40 years ago to tackle the hole in the ozone layer. 'Climate change is much more complex, and the gases act for much longer, and the impact on the economy is infinitely larger than the elimination of the gases that deplete the ozone layer. But the ozone layer is the only example of the phenomenon that connected human action could change the direction [of an environmental crisis].' If we fail? 'The alternative is accelerating climate change.'
