Arthan and JustJobs Network will conduct a panel discussion on “Impact of Climate Change on Agricultural Livelihoods of Women” on Zoom platform on March 8 (Wednesday).

A statement said the aim of this panel discussion is to understand the intricacies of how climate change effects vary unevenly among genders and to look for ideas and solutions to foster gender parity and improve outcomes for women in the world of work.

The speakers at the panel discussion include Sabina Dewan (President and Executive Director, JustJobs Network), Jaskiran Warrik (Project Lead, Food Innovation Hub), Zulfiqar Haider (Chief Strategy and Programme Officer at Azim Premji Foundation), and Neeraja Kudrimoti (State Programme Officer – Transformation of Aspirational Districts Program, Chhattisgarh under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Transforming Rural India Foundation Partnership).

The statement said climate change is a threat across the globe to all livelihoods. However, people working in agriculture, especially women, are more burdened by the impact of climate change. This will further widen the inequalities in agriculture.

Gender inequality in labour market, specifically in the cases of developing nations, is one of the great challenges, it said, adding, the pandemic has hit the lower rung of the occupation hierarchy, especially women, working in the informal economy, it said.

There are various socio-economic variables at play such as lower access to resources compared to men, and poverty. In addition to this, women are considered primarily responsible for collecting water to meet agricultural and household needs, it said.

There need to be agencies in place across regions that could help in strategising how best to create measures and interventions for areas with large female populations that are exposed to high degrees of climate risks, the statement added.

Related Topics