Agriculture and the changing climate

These posts have focused on the importance of water with regard to domestic use, but its significance in the industrial sector, predominantly in agriculture, cannot be understated. Many families rely on farming for their livelihoods, with 55% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa working as smallholder farmers, and over 20% of the region's GDP comes from agriculture. More than 60% of all employed women in sub-Saharan Africa work in agriculture, yet female farmers are frequently restricted, not because of poor weather or unfavourable soil conditions, but because of a complex web of laws, policies, programs and customs that considerably hinder them.

Land ownership

Due to discriminatory inheritance rules, the lack of female participation in communal organisations and the lack of property ownership, women are placed at a severe disadvantage. Female farmers usually access land through a male relative, but this can leave them vulnerable to a loss of income or a complete loss of land in situations where a death or divorce might occur. Even in instances where women do own land, it is, on average, 40% smaller or is of lower quality which diminishes profitability and female empowerment. Climate change is set to further exacerbate the problems surrounding land ownership because women are more likely to live in poverty and have lower levels of education than men, with access to fewer basic human rights such as the ability to move freely. This will make it more difficult to move to areas less affected by climate change while further linking together the cycle of food insecurity and land ownership. 

However, several African nations over the past 2 decades have ensured that women's rights to land are protected and promoted. Ethiopia introduced joint land registration and such reform has been shown to lead to increased investment in land, especially by women. The investment rises even higher among women who are educated about their land rights. There is still much to do, but this is an indicator that positive changes are being implemented. 

Figure 1: Women farming in Tanzania (Maxwell, 2018)

Cultural norms and customs

Cultural norms embedded in societies often have a role to play. Women are usually responsible for water collection and managing harvests while men are usually assigned more physically arduous tasks. 

Greater decision-making power and more education for women can help alter these customs and how farming is conducted, but it is arguably something that will not be transformed immediately and discussions must be had within communities. 

COP27

The importance of working directly with women was a key topic discussed at the summit in November 2022. It was acknowledged that when attempting to adapt to climate change, women face more challenges yet simultaneously, they are not victims, but can actually lead the way in adopting more rigorous climate change policies through increased representation in government, especially in Africa. 

Many have called the summit an overall failure that did not address significant problems, but growing the discussion around female participation is essential to ensure that their livelihoods are not devastated by climate change.