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| Women Farming, Zimbabwe Women's News Network |
Farmers, especially small-subsistence farmers, are being forced to adapt to the changing climate. Ecological climate-resilient agriculture is a term being brought into dialogues at the COP 17. Climate resilient agriculture is important to support and part of a feasible solution in addressing climate change adaptation. This term is based upon farmers' knowledge and incorporating agriculture methods that create healthy soil that store water during drought conditions and diversifying crops to create resilience against unpredictable weather patterns.
Climate resilient agriculture allows farmers to work with nature, not against and without genetically modified seeds and chemicals. This removes a dependency from international aid in several ways. First, of all it encourages seed saving and allows crops to naturally evolve to the changing climate. Thus, farmers do not have to purchase GMO seeds every year, often which eliminate offspring seeds. Secondly, it is preventative measure against climate change. Crops are becoming increasingly more vulnerable as result of drastic and unpredictable changes in weather patterns. This results in people
having an increased risk of going hungry and not be able to fully participate in their communities. By incorporating climate resilient agriculture, farmers can prepare for a wide range of weather patterns and increase crop yields.
According to the UNDP, women account for 80% of food production in many African countries. For many of our impoverished sisters farming in rural areas life can be a constant struggle for survival. Inadequate support to deal with climate change severely effects the livelihood of women and eliminates any chance of gender equality. As widely discussed with my colleagues at the Feminist Task Force, there can be no poverty eradication without gender equality.
Inevitably weather patterns will continue to worsen and current farming practices will become increasingly insufficient. Steps need to be taken in order to build self-reliance and increase food sovereignty. These are five essential steps that are crucial to move towards climate resiliency, as outlined by the Third World Network:
1. Increasing investment in ecological agriculture: Governments must reorient agriculture policies and funding to climate-resilient agriculture. Projects such as communal water catchments systems, agricultural biodiversity and agroforestry must be provided support.
2. Managing climate risks and reducing vulnerability: Agriculture vulnerability can only be reduced by governments building adaptive capacity and resilience. Social safety nets must be put in place to deal with climate disasters or else the continuous cycle of poverty will worsen.
3. Stopping climate-destructive agriculture by dismantling perverse incentives and subsidies that promote unsuitable and high-emissions agriculture.
4. Implementing a research and knowledge-sharing agenda towards ecological agriculture and climate resilience.
5. Building supportive international policy frameworks.
Climate resilient agriculture allows farmers to work with nature, not against and without genetically modified seeds and chemicals. This removes a dependency from international aid in several ways. First, of all it encourages seed saving and allows crops to naturally evolve to the changing climate. Thus, farmers do not have to purchase GMO seeds every year, often which eliminate offspring seeds. Secondly, it is preventative measure against climate change. Crops are becoming increasingly more vulnerable as result of drastic and unpredictable changes in weather patterns. This results in people
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| Women Farming West Africa, Earth Institute |
According to the UNDP, women account for 80% of food production in many African countries. For many of our impoverished sisters farming in rural areas life can be a constant struggle for survival. Inadequate support to deal with climate change severely effects the livelihood of women and eliminates any chance of gender equality. As widely discussed with my colleagues at the Feminist Task Force, there can be no poverty eradication without gender equality.
Inevitably weather patterns will continue to worsen and current farming practices will become increasingly insufficient. Steps need to be taken in order to build self-reliance and increase food sovereignty. These are five essential steps that are crucial to move towards climate resiliency, as outlined by the Third World Network:
1. Increasing investment in ecological agriculture: Governments must reorient agriculture policies and funding to climate-resilient agriculture. Projects such as communal water catchments systems, agricultural biodiversity and agroforestry must be provided support.
2. Managing climate risks and reducing vulnerability: Agriculture vulnerability can only be reduced by governments building adaptive capacity and resilience. Social safety nets must be put in place to deal with climate disasters or else the continuous cycle of poverty will worsen.
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| Women Farming, Ghana IFAD |
3. Stopping climate-destructive agriculture by dismantling perverse incentives and subsidies that promote unsuitable and high-emissions agriculture.
4. Implementing a research and knowledge-sharing agenda towards ecological agriculture and climate resilience.
5. Building supportive international policy frameworks.
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