280
Z. Andlib et al.
Keywords Agriculture · Climate change adaptation · Disaster risk reduction ·
Gender equality
15.1 Introduction
In the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) community, an understanding that gender
equality is fundamental in increased resilience and adaptation to climate change is
broad (FAO 2015a). This chapter explores the environmental and climatic vulnerabilities faced by less affluent communities, especially women in Southern Africa and
the Asia Pacific. Particular focus is on the climate-related shocks to their agricultural
productivity, adding pressure to their already precarious livelihoods. It means that
there is a need for a strong focus on these agriculturally based livelihoods directly
being affected by climate change, with 82% of crop and livestock production losses
said to be due to drought, floods and extreme climatic events (FAO 2015b). With
strengthened global interest to improve DRR in the agricultural sector, absorbing
more than 22% of economic losses due to disasters, the need to ensure that genderresponsive approaches are part of the adaptation and resilience cannot be underestimated (FAO 2015a, b). The chapter is centred on cases of marginalized regions
through understanding the nexus between gender, climate change adaptation and
disaster risk reduction in agriculture. This chapter will feed into the goals of the
Sendai Framework for Action through strengthening resilience, awareness and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and disasters globally, as well as decreased
direct economic losses relative to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) caused by disasters. Its objectives are also in line with the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk
(IRDR) Science Plan, with one of its important objectives being an understanding of
decision-making in complex and changing risk contexts (ICSU 2008). Therefore, an
understanding of the decision-making choices that contribute to agricultural disasters
and how they may be influenced, as well as how this knowledge can better lead to
disaster risk reduction, would significantly aid in providing an insight into gender
dimensions in recovery in the regions concerned.
It is generally observed that women in developing countries are considered to
be vulnerable as compared to their men counterparts. The main reason behind this
vulnerability is the high dependence of women on natural resources, such as agriculture, fisheries, biofuels and forest resources. Climate change impacts agriculture
directly by decreasing the crop yields, heat or cold stress that may cause low productivity among women-headed farm owners, may affect their health, whereas the indirect impacts include stressed water sources, changes in crops pattern and undermine
the supply of essential agricultural crops that put stress on the price of agricultural
commodities. The chapter is centred on cases of marginalized third world countries in
Southern Africa and the Asia Pacific with specific objectives; to understand the nexus
between gender, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in agriculture.
Z. Andlib et al.
Keywords Agriculture · Climate change adaptation · Disaster risk reduction ·
Gender equality
15.1 Introduction
In the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) community, an understanding that gender
equality is fundamental in increased resilience and adaptation to climate change is
broad (FAO 2015a). This chapter explores the environmental and climatic vulnerabilities faced by less affluent communities, especially women in Southern Africa and
the Asia Pacific. Particular focus is on the climate-related shocks to their agricultural
productivity, adding pressure to their already precarious livelihoods. It means that
there is a need for a strong focus on these agriculturally based livelihoods directly
being affected by climate change, with 82% of crop and livestock production losses
said to be due to drought, floods and extreme climatic events (FAO 2015b). With
strengthened global interest to improve DRR in the agricultural sector, absorbing
more than 22% of economic losses due to disasters, the need to ensure that genderresponsive approaches are part of the adaptation and resilience cannot be underestimated (FAO 2015a, b). The chapter is centred on cases of marginalized regions
through understanding the nexus between gender, climate change adaptation and
disaster risk reduction in agriculture. This chapter will feed into the goals of the
Sendai Framework for Action through strengthening resilience, awareness and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and disasters globally, as well as decreased
direct economic losses relative to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) caused by disasters. Its objectives are also in line with the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk
(IRDR) Science Plan, with one of its important objectives being an understanding of
decision-making in complex and changing risk contexts (ICSU 2008). Therefore, an
understanding of the decision-making choices that contribute to agricultural disasters
and how they may be influenced, as well as how this knowledge can better lead to
disaster risk reduction, would significantly aid in providing an insight into gender
dimensions in recovery in the regions concerned.
It is generally observed that women in developing countries are considered to
be vulnerable as compared to their men counterparts. The main reason behind this
vulnerability is the high dependence of women on natural resources, such as agriculture, fisheries, biofuels and forest resources. Climate change impacts agriculture
directly by decreasing the crop yields, heat or cold stress that may cause low productivity among women-headed farm owners, may affect their health, whereas the indirect impacts include stressed water sources, changes in crops pattern and undermine
the supply of essential agricultural crops that put stress on the price of agricultural
commodities. The chapter is centred on cases of marginalized third world countries in
Southern Africa and the Asia Pacific with specific objectives; to understand the nexus
between gender, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in agriculture.