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The climate crisis continues to affect women and girls in rural communities. It also exacerbates preexisting inequalities, feeds instability, and causes migration. This warning was issued by the United Nations World Food Programme on International Women’s Day.
International Women’s Day 2022 will focus on “Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow” and recognizes the contributions of women and girls worldwide to climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Women and girls are often denied access to financial services, early warning systems and financial information. They also lack participation in community decision-making. These inequalities hinder women’s ability to prepare for, deal with and recover from climate shocks or stresses.
Valerie Guarnieri (WFP Assistant Executive Director) stated that women are the foundation of food security, but they are also most affected by climate shocks or food insecurity. “A sustainable future can only be achieved when women and girls have the resources they need to adapt to changing climates.
The UN’s flagship joint UN effort to transform rural women’s lives is the Joint Programme on Accelerating progress towards the Economic Empowerment of Rural Women in Liberia (JP-RWEE).
WFP, FAO and UNWOMEN use results-based programs to improve the lives of rural women.
The JP RWEE provided capacity-building training for 14,762 beneficiaries (13,074 women and 1,688 men) in food processing and storage, using innovative, productivity-enhancing, and culturally sensitive technologies for strengthening women and men beneficiaries’ productive capacities including the use of agricultural technologies, improved crop planting, harvesting, preservation and packaging, nutrition sensitive, and climate-smart agriculture.
Grand Bassa County’s Luwein is home to climate-smart farming and VSLA (village savings associations and loan associations) schemes. These are innovative, productive ventures that Wellekama Rural Women Group sees as sustainable sources of income. “We’re standing as women now. We don’t wait for men to support our cause. We send our children to school and provide food for the homes,” stated Yatta Binta, the chairlady of the group.
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The programme has helped the group adapt to climate change and made them more resilient by providing technical assistance in setting up irrigation systems for swamps that were once prone to flooding during heavy rains or periods of drought.
The cooperative also received chemical pest control products and training on how to properly plan their plots for cultivation. They also learned how to package and store their produce in a warehouse that was just minutes away from their farm.
“We are serious about our work, this year we planted bitterballs, pepper, potatoes and okras for food, and sold the excess. The improved rice seed is very good. It’s only three months ago that we planted the rice. Today, we began cutting our rice,” said Yatta.
She continued, “Through the VSLA people can save money to purchase personal effects and so it’s possible to work side-by side unlike before.”
In a year in which humanitarian needs are rising and aid agencies are stretched thin it is imperative to support communities vulnerable to the harsh realities that the climate crisis.
