Mme Mapete, 73, has built a livelihood from
her small backyard garden in rural Limpopo, South Africa for more than 42
years. In this period, she has expanded her plot by integrating previously
underutilised parts of her community’s land
This allowed her to cultivate more than 50 mango trees of different species, processing the produce into fruit jam, sauces and achaar (relish) and selling to her community for income.
Over time, however, Mapete started noticing
that her once large and succulent mangoes were shrinking in size and developing
black spots, as the overall yield plummeted.
To her, unreliable rainfall, hailstorms and
water scarcity were responsible for the lost yields. In reality, climate change
was in action. Yet climate change is not a subject she was familiar with at the
time.
Through support from local cooperative ‘‘Hebron
Mango Tree Growers’’ and gender justice nonprofit GenderCC, Mapete and her
community have now adopted new farming techniques to build resilience. They do
this through rainwater harvesting, crop diversification and using local weather
monitoring systems.
Her yields now boosted, the ‘‘wheelbarrow
lady entrepreneur” — as Mme Mapete is known for selling her produce in a
wheelbarrow — finally realised her dream of selling to big retailers for a more
sustainable livelihood.
Mapete’s story highlights the struggles,
but also the strengths, of millions of African women battling to salvage their
livelihoods on the climate frontline. It also demonstrates how supporting women
can unlock their potential to drive personal and social change.
Gendered struggle for adaptation
While climate change affects everyone, it disproportionately impacts women, particularly in rural Africa. But even among African women, vulnerability to climate risks also varies based on age, class, ethnicity and other intersectional identities.
As climate shocks intensify, so does the burden on women as the primary providers for their families — they are responsible for securing food, water and firewood.
Prolonged droughts, deadly floods and extreme heat devastate agriculture and make food sovereignty an even greater challenge, with women hit the hardest.
To this end, the emancipation of women should target environmental justice, including climate justice, gender-based violence, gender inequalities and social norms that threaten or hinder swift and effective adaptation and resilience for women, girls and other vulnerable communities.
Yet, women are not simply victims of
climate change. They are vital agents of change. Their ability to drive climate
action and adapt effectively is, however, influenced by and often limited by
structural barriers.
Patriarchy, unjust social norms and traditional gender roles typically limit women’s mobility, access to information, resources, land and opportunities and even participation in climate initiatives and decision-making processes.
Research shows that climate information is less likely to reach women than men. Without access to early warning systems, for instance, women are more exposed to climate shocks.
At the same time, their limited access to financial services and benefits, particularly agricultural insurance, also hampers their ability to farm profitably and sustainably.
Limited access to, and ownership of, land,
driven by unequal and insecure land rights and restrictive cultural practices, also
prevents women from proactively using and investing in adaptive strategies such
as water harvesting, agroforestry and agroecology.
Over the years, women’s representation and
meaningful participation in climate negotiations has been minimal, limiting
their influence on the design and outcomes of climate action. Women at COP28 in
Dubai two years ago, for instance, constituted about 34
per cent of the delegates —the same as 10 years earlier.
At the same time, the absence of
gender-disaggregated data and information hinders the development of gender
specific policies and interventions that adequately address gendered
consequences of climate change. Cumulatively, these factors hamper women’s
capacity to adapt.
30 years after Beijing
The 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was a landmark commitment by the world to achieve gender equality, including provision of better opportunities for women and girls.
Thirty years later, African women hope that the declaration can finally come alive by integrating gender responsive climate strategies into global frameworks.
This means recognising that climate
adaptation is not just about adjusting infrastructure and development, but also
changing some sociocultural practices for social justice.
Historically, African women have led adaptation efforts. Their resilience has been tested. As frontline champions, African women and girls are uniquely positioned to drive climate action.
The
story of Mme Mapete is testament to this resilience. Better support systems can
only bolster women’s leadership and full participation in resilience building
efforts.
So, what must we do?
Foremost, African governments must guarantee land rights for women by prioritising equitable land rights and ownership laws by dismantling prohibitive cultural norms. Countries must also strengthen women-led adaptation initiatives by resourcing and supporting their agroecology and biodiversity restoration efforts.
Increasing the financial inclusion of women by providing them with access to finance, credit and insurance, especially for agriculture, must also be a top priority to help them adapt to climate impacts. It is impossible to attain climate justice without gender-responsive climate governance. Women must have a seat at the climate negotiations and decision-making tables, at all levels.
Humanity must also recognise unpaid care work that women do, including domestic labour. Equally, planning, policies and the design of adaptation approaches must be informed by gender-disaggregated data.
In this 30th anniversary of the Beijing
Platform for Action, we must seek to resolve the systemic barriers that limit
women. These efforts must be gender-responsive, intersectional and driven by
communities.
Ndivile Mokoena is a gender and climate
justice champion at GenderCC, SA, while Amy G Thorp is the programs manager at
Power Shift Africa
