‘Women have key role in climate resilience’

Experts say rising temperatures pose threats to future livelihoods

Both men and women need to be educated about the key role that women can play when it comes to building resilience to climate change and sustainable market linkages to improve agricultural productivity.

This was stated by experts in a panel discussion held to commemorate International Rural Women’s Day on Friday at National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) in Islamabad. The event was organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The event was unique in that this was the first time FAO beneficiary women from the militancy ravaged North Waziristan Tribal District participated in the dialogue.

The theme for International Rural Women Day, 2019 is Rural Women and Girls Building Climate Resilience.

“Access to land, finance, and technology and its knowledge can help rural women become more resilient and contribute to the development of the agriculture sector in Pakistan,” said FAO Representative Mina Dowlatchahi.

She added that climate change poses a great threat to poverty reduction and achieving Social Development Goals (SDGs) in Pakistan.

It impacts health, food security, nutrition, production, and people’s earnings. Yet given their traditional roles in agricultural production, and as the procurers of water, cooking fuel, and other household resources, women are well suited to finding solutions to prevent further degradation and adapting to climate change, she added.

Given the fact that modelling of climate change scenarios for Pakistan show that if agriculture and water management continue along a ‘business as usual’ pathway, increasing temperatures and changes in precipitation will pose serious threats to the future livelihoods of farmers and the Pakistani agricultural sector.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 19^th, 2019.