The global economic, food and climate change crises have hit African women the hardest, according to a report from a delegation of African and United Nations female officials attending a conference on gender equality.
“When we look at the GDPs of all African countries, they are between five and seven per cent [in the recent past… but this present crisis is going to erode all those gains that have been made,” Isatou Njie Saidy, Vice-President of Gambia, told journalists at UN Headquarters in New York.
Africa is said to be one of the regions most vulnerable to the effects of climate change although it contributes minimally to the problem. The difficult social and economic situation of most Africans, especially women and children, worsens the situation, in Ghana for instance, women constitute about 51% of the population and about 30% of them are heads of households. . “They constitute 52% of the agricultural labour force, contribute 46% to the total GDP and produce 70% of subsistent crops. They play major roles in production and distribution” according to figures from the Ministry of Agriculture.
A wide variety of literature is available on the importance of agriculture to economic development in Africa and on the critical role that rural women play within this sector. Increasing attention is also being given to the role of smallholder subsistence agriculture in ensuring the food security of the continent, as 73% of the rural population consists of smallholder farmers (IFAD, 1993:6). In Sub-Saharan Africa, agriculture accounts for approximately 21% of the continent’s GDP and women contribute 60-80% of the labour used to produce food both for household consumption and for sale (FAO).
Climate Change and its impact on women
At the household level, the ability to adapt to changes in the climate depends on control over land, money, credit and tools; low dependency ratios; good health and personal mobility; household entitlements and food security; secure housing in safe locations; and freedom from violence. As such, women are often less able to adapt to climate change than men since they represent the majority of low-income earners, they generally have less education than men and are thus less likely to be reached by extension agents and they are often denied rights to property and land, which makes it difficult for them to access credit and agricultural extension services. Click on this link to get the full report (IDS 2008).
Role of Women in Agriculture
Benin
70% of the female population live in rural areas, where they carry out 60-80% of the agricultural work and furnish up to 44% of the work necessary for household subsistence.
Burkina Faso
Women constitute 48% of the labourers in the agricultural sector.
Congo
Women account for 73% of those economically active in agriculture and produce more than 80% of the food crops.
Mauritania
Despite data gaps, it is estimated that women cover 45% of the needs in rural areas.
Morocco
Approximately 57% of the female population participates in agricultural activities, with greater involvement in animal (68%) as opposed to vegetable production (46%). Studies have indicated that the proportion of agricultural work carried out by men, women and children is 42%, 45% and 14% respectively.
Namibia
Data from the 1991 census reveals that women account for 59% of those engaged in skilled and subsistence agriculture work, a and that women continue to shoulder the primary responsibility for food production and preparation.
Sudan
In the traditional sector, women constitute 80% of the farmers. Women farmers represent approximately 49% of the farmers in the irrigated sector and 57% in the traditional sector. 30% of the food in the country is produced by women.
Tanzania
98% of the rural women defined as economically active are engaged in agriculture and produce a substantial share of the food crops for both household consumption and for export
Zimbabwe
Women constitute 61% of the farmers in the Communal areas and comprise at least 70% of the labour force in these areas.
African women bear brunt of global crises, warn delegates at UN conference.
As the climate talks are about to start in Bonn, already there are signs that a deal in 2009 beyond Kyoto is far from obvious.
Brazil’s environmental minister says a “climate apartheid” between rich and poor nations could hinder a global warming deal this year. Brazil, India and China have been at the center of a global negotiation which they deem not fitting to their emerging economies.
Carlos Minc says the world “unfortunately is far from reaching an agreement” because of differences in the positions of rich and poor countries.
Brazil minister skeptical of global warming deal – International Herald Tribune.
This article is one of the many appearing in the net lately from America questioning the impact of CO2 on global temperatures. The argument is based on reviewing CO2 data over a longer historical/geological timeline.
Black cars absorb more heat than lighter-colored cars in the California sun. Therefore, the AC has to work harder to cool off the car after your trip to the multiplex to see the latest summer blockbuster. If the AC has to work harder, your vehicle will consume more fuel. Consuming more fuel means spewing more CO2 into the atmosphere. And despite the fact that CO2 does not cause global warming, the California legislature passed a bill requiring that the state reduce its CO2 emissions 25 percent by 2020.
Opposing Views: OPINION: Would Calif. Really Ban Black Cars to Fight Global Warming?.
The vulnerability of the agriculture sector to both climate change and variability is well established and there is a consensus that changes in temperature and precipitation will result in:
Although estimates suggest global food production is robust, significant regional disparities are likely. Poorer developing countries are likely to be especially affected (UNDP)
Farmers
AS any farmer will tell you, the production of food relies greatly on the weather. Historically, weather fluctuated from year to year, while climate—the average weather conditions over time—remained much the same. Now, increases in the atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases have led to a climb in the global temperatures during the past 20 years. As a result, scientists, farmers, and government officials are struggling to understand what effects a permanently warmer climate will have on agriculture.
Farmers around the world have always talked and worried about the weather obsessively. Climate change makes these worries even more pronounced especially in the Global South.
Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is unequivocal, in saying that the scientific evidence to climate change leaves us no doubt as to the dangers mankind is facing. One of the areas that are of great concern is agriculture, the impact of climate change will be devastating not only in the Global South but also in the North.
Climate and agriculture.
Land use worldwide accounts for an estimated 20 percent of the total greenhouse emissions. So basically farming is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions.
However the immediate problem according to most experts will be the agriculture’s vulnerability to climate change and the grave consequences this implies for the world’s poor and hungry. Drought, severe storms and flooding are hardly news for farmers in the developing world. They have been contending with such catastrophes since the beginnings of agriculture 10,000 years ago. But never before have so many rural people been so vulnerable. However the greater frequency of occurrence, especially in the tropics and the fundamental changes in rainfall patterns, rising temperatures etc will shorten growing seasons and reduce crop productivity. This will impact approximately 63 percent of the developing world’s total population.
A major reason for the vulnerability of developing country farmers to global climate change is the limit to options. The limitation has been gradually introduced by policies, institutions, and practices and as the changes in lifestyles coping strategies. This is amplified by the degradation of the soil, water, forests and other plant resources on which their livelihoods depend.
An estimated 500 million hectares of agricultural land are already degraded in Sub-Saharan Africa, this is the same land that feeds majority of its inhabitants. Agriculture on these lands is also rainfed. In a situation where the rainfall patterns are already quite erratic this is projected to worsen with climate change. Rural folk in developing countries depend on agriculture, the threat posed by climate change must be confronted as a priority and immediate action.
Global climate change poses an unprecedented challenge to humanity’s skill at maintaining viable livelihoods under highly diverse and variable climatic and environmental conditions.
Some Research Findings
Models have shown that in Africa maize, wheat and wild relatives will be impacted negatively by climate change. The models have also shown that there is a lot of local variability based on the micro-ecosystems. But as a generall trend, while the population in Africa is expanding, the food production system is increasingly under pressure and most important urgent question is how to deal with the projected decline of the cereals (Global Climate Change; Can Agriculture Cope? CGIAR).
During these first three weeks I have worked with three major events / activities:
GISEEM
During this time there has not been many activities around GISEEM because we have been waiting for Mukogodo community to finish their work plans for the coming year. The work plans arrived this weekend on the 6th of March for evaluation.
Dividing work groups in Dol Dol
We received work plans by all groups established in the previous meeting on advocacy, filming and recording, community mobilization and completing both Eco-calendar and cyber traking. Each plan included minimum information on what, when, where, by whom and on which cost will be done. Information on culturally important sites and natural resources yet to be tracked were quite well included especially in the advocacy plan, although it didn’t concentrate so much on advocacy itself. However, plans have to be made a bit more detailed and budgets have to be reconsidered. Thus Julius Muchemi, the head of ERMIS Africa is currently visiting the people responsible of completing the work plans to discuss about their editing. In the previous meeting we found out that another organization, Ilmaamusi, is already working with policies concerning the forest management plan of Mukogodo forest. Julius will also meet Ilmaamusi durinDividing work groups in Dol Dol his visit.
During the time of waiting for the work plans, Martha held a GIS training on the 8th and 9th of March for Grace shooting mamas’ comments sitting at the back of the group Peter and Simon due to another project they’re undertaking, but which I attended as well. I’m no, in case of need, able to process the spatial data collected with GPS by the communities into maps and other publications. However, according to Martha the most of the digitizing work has been done already. Only certain essential information, such as the border of the Giitune forest and narratives from Mukogodo are missing.
So now we are waiting for the communities to collect the information. From Mukogodo many sites of medicinal herbs, caves, and some other places of cultural importance have been tracked, but as the distances are long, the elders haven’t been able to join the mapping trips to include the narratives with spatial data. Also another ERMIS trainee Grace Mwaura specialized in conservation filming had visited the community in order to film their narratives. But as the elders weren’t prepared, the content was not adequate for filming.
Grace filming the mamas' comments sitting at the back of the group
Things to work with from now on include further use of collected information, bringing the information back to the communities and advocacy process of Karima and Mukogodo. These will be discussed as Julius returns from his visit.
Seminar on watershed management of lake Nakuru
On the 24th and 25th of February I attended a seminar organized by on management of Lake Nakuru wateshead together with Julius and Grace. Seminar was attended by numreous governmental and municipal stakeholders, NGOs and community representatives. On the both of the days different stakeholders presented their activities and researches concerning water- and waste management of Nakuru town and forest management of the catchment area of the lake. The seminar ended with a group discussion on the issues mentioned above, as well as on improvement of cooperation between different actors within the area.
Ermis’ role in the meeting was to present Mau SDI – project, Mau Spatial Data Infrastructure project. The aim of the project is to develop a Platform for all stakeholders within Mau to keep record of and find out about different activities and researches to ensure coherent and effective cooperation. I found the seminar extremely interesting and useful but it’s effects on better water management remain to be seen.
Debate on reforestation with eucalyptus
Where once was the Mau Forest
Another deforested area
Old Mzee and Young Trees
More varied tree species for plantation
Water from the catchment in the beginning of purification process
Pelicans on dry lake bottom
JUMP -Joint University Mentoriship Program
JUMP is a Joint University Mentoriship Program launched by ERMIS, and now organized together with several Kenyan universities. JUMP is an offshoot from 1st international Mesa conference organized by Unep on last November in Nairobi. In the conference university students addressed a need for greater career mentorship on the field of education for sustainable development, and JUMP is a response for that need.
During these weeks JUMP has been developed from an idea to a complete 3 month program, which includes participation on different ERMIS projects, mentoring by different relevant mentors such as professors and organizations, networking with students and professionals throught fields of studying and levels of career, and a three-week training on participatroy GIS, documentation and Web 2.0 technologies. My task has been to contact my university in order to include international links into JUMP. So far I have contacted professors and coordinators of international issues of the departments of Geography, forestry, ICT and the whole Unversity. ICT department is willing to send students to JUMP when interested ones appear and the other responses I’m still waiting for.
Grace editing maps
On the 3rd of March me and Grace visited three universities in Nairobi to discuss about the coming program with deans and students of the univsersities. We met the students and three professors and their responses were generally very positive. Some questions on institutionalizement of the project and financing have raised, but we’re now working with the program to response these questions. By now a thorough strategy plan and a detailed program and budget for the three week training period for coming august have been written and we’re waiting for applications from students to join the training.
Sunna talking to Kenyatta University Students
Now Ermis will start negotiations with possible funders and discussions with other universities as well as contact to already started ones will go on.
I am Sunna Kovanen, a third-year undergraduate human geography student from the university of Joensuu, Finland.
I am currently on attachment in Ermis Africa in Nakuru to complete the work experience for my studies on GISEEM project. I started my exploration of East Africa with a student exchange period in Tumaini University in Iringa, Tanzania already last semester. Here in Nakuru I will stay until the beginning of August. I have an interest in development studies and I hope that my work with Ermis is just a beginning on this path.
From now on I will start posting greetings from my activities and especially on progress of GISEEM – project on this blog. My main task here is to work with GISEEM but as you can read on, ERMIS has appointed me a few other tasks for the spring, too.
Yaaku-Samburu activist Naini Meriwas addressed the final day of the IPACC conference on Climate Change in Marrakech.
Meriwas emphasised that indigenous women are at the front line of the impact of climate change in Africa, and yet have thus far been highly marginalised from policy making, consultations, and preparations for adaptation and mitigation.
Meriwas described the situation of indigenous peoples in the dry forests of Kenya and the arid northern pastoralist lands. As weather patterns become more extreme and temperatures climb, indigenous communities are hammered by new diseases, food insecurity, loss of biodiversity and essential natural resources, migration of men to the cities, and vulnerable children.
Indigenous peoples in Kenya have been greatly frustrated by high levels of corruption and the destruction of water sheds and forests by poor governance. to this day, forest based hunter-gatherer peoples are not recognised in the national census or governance. This includes the Yaaku of the Mukogodo, the Ogiek of the Mau Forest, the Sengwer of the Cheranganyi, the Chepkitale of the the Mt Elgon region, as well as the Aweer-Dahalo, northern Waata, southern Waata and Elmolo peoples.
IPACC delegates recognised that indigenous women need to be supported to be more directly involved in climate change negotiations. A starting point is that as land dries out, as livestock perish, and as people accelarate forest invasions, there will be more conflict, violence and human rights violations. Some of these human rights violation may happen inside families living under desperate conditions. Delegates agreed that the indigenous movement must emphasise the dignity of indigenous women and children, and promote dialogue in families and communities about reducing levels of conflict and harm in the communities.
=Khomani San activist Annetta Bok reported that her community struggled with domestic violence, alcohol abuse, rape and rising HIV levels. In traditional culture San women were highly valued, now they are the bottom rung of society, highly vulnerable to abuse by men and neighbouring communities.
Bororo activist Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim spoke about indigenous herding women who carry the weight of feeding the family, managing livestock, and dealing with uncertainty. Women are the main vehicles of reproduction of culture and knowledge, and yet during climate stress and crisis they sometimes become the objects of anger, frustration and violence by menfolk.
Ibrahim pointed out to the Moroccan hosts that they were the only delegation that was only made up of men. She reminded her Moroccan brothers that we are all responsible for equity and human rights. Algerian activist Kamira Nait-Sid supported this input. Algerian indigenous peoples are under constant human rights and environmental pressures, it is important for men and women to be in solidarity for their advocacy to be successful.
Mary Simat and Naini Meriwas emphasised that culture is a rich resource for indigenous peoples, but violence against women is not acceptable. Maasai, Samburu and other men need to be challenged about their behaviour to women.
Simat reported that the issue of climate change and gender issues need to be raised at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). She follows the CSW process at the UN, but there are very few women involve, almost no funding for indigenous women, and climate change has not been mentioned on the agenda over the past two years.
Tuareg activist Mohamed Ewangaye of Niger stated that indigenous culture rests on a peaceful balance between men and women. All indigenous men are responsible and dependent on their mothers, wives and daughters to sustain the family and their culture.
Delegates agreed that indigenous peoples need to consider the impact of climate change on women, promote dialogue in indigenous communities, and priorities training for indigenous women to be involved in policy processes as the UN and at national levels.
