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.

Currently the UN considers industrial tree plantations as forests. This is, simply put, an egregious error. Plantations are not forests.  Forests are diverse ecosystems and plantations are void of biodiversity.  The UN definition endangers Indigenous Peoples, forest dependent people, peasants, small farmers, biodiversity and
exacerbates climate change.

The groups held a media conference this morning and several actions occurred on the theme of calling on the UNFCCC to change the definition of forests so it distinguishes between native forests and plantations.

“We have united to challenge the definition of forest under the UNFCCC to ensure that agricultural tree crops, or plantations are not defined as a forest”, said Gemma Tillack, an international youth delegate and campaigner for The Wilderness Society in Australia.

“The conversion of native forests to plantations is bad for biodiversity, people and the climate. Human  rights, especially women’s rights, are being violated where there are plantations, and they should not be defined as forests.  In addition, industrial tree plantations impact the climate–tropical forests and grasslands store significantly more carbon than tree plantations”, said Ana Filippini from World Rainforest Movement (Uruguay) and member of the GenderCC Network – Women for Climate Justice.

“Schemes such as REDD allow companies to prevent family farmers from using the land to produce the food that is needed to feed their communities and their countries”, said Luis Muchanga of Via Campesina in Mozambique.  He continued,  ”Deforestation, which is a major driver of global warming, is not made by peasants and indigenous peoples, but by large companies that are given the right to convert the forest to tree plantations”.

The groups are proposing that the definitions are changed so:

o Forests are defined as ‘a terrestrial ecosystem generated and maintained primarily through natural and ecological and evolutionary processes that are home to most of the world’s biodiversity’.

o Plantations are defined as a crop of trees planted and regularly harvested by humans that do not provide habitat for biodiversity.

“The definition of forests under REDD is utterly ridiculous”, stated Sandy Gauntlett, a Maori indigenous rights activist from New Zealand, and representative of  Global Forest Coalition.  ”It leaves wide open the ability of countries to destroy their natural forests and replace them with industrial tree plantations-which destroys wildlife habitat and displaces indigenous and forest dependent communities.  New Zealand is an example of the disaster of tree plantations-and now we are in the process of developing genetically engineered trees for
plantations”, he continued.

“Commercial release of genetically engineered Franken-trees in plantations poses a very serious threat to the world’s forests and peoples”, added Anne Petermann, Co-Director of Global Justice Ecology Project in the U.S.  ”GE insect resistant trees, for example, can contaminate water and soils and the pollen may be toxic to people that inhale it or wildlife that ingest it”, she stated.

The groups in this joint press release agree that: “If it is not resolved, and REDD applies this definition of forests, the global community could miss the chance of avoiding dangerous climate change and the 1.6 billion people who depend on forests for there survival will continue to be negatively affected”.

Contact:    Orin Langelle, Global Forest Coalition media coordinator +48 696 723 046
Gemma Tillack, The Wilderness Society                             +61 427 057 643
Ana Filippini, World Rainforest Movement                          +48 785 260 455