Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the linkages between climate justice, food security and reparation through the experiences of women farmers in Jaffna, a Northern dry zone area of Sri Lanka. It argues that reparations is essential for a just and secure transition to sustainable food production.

Paper long abstract:

Centuries of industrialisation in the West has created planet no longer safe for low-income communities in the Global South. Increasing climate risks and the interconnectedness of risks is disrupting food production and is expected to increase the number of food insecure people by 183-million in the next 15-years. Sustainable food systems reduce GHG-emissions, while increasing the resilience of food systems and ensuring food security. However, sustainable transitions in food production systems are often costly, requiring new capital investments, capacity training and incentives for farmers. Investing in transitions can be unaffordable to low-income farmers and developing countries who must weigh the allocation of scarce resources against development and security objectives.

This paper explores links between climate justice, food security and reparation through the experiences of women farmers in Jaffna. With increasing ambient temperatures, UV radiation and decreasing humidity, Jaffna is expected to experience some of the highest declines in living standards in South Asia. Under such scenarios, outdoor workers and food systems are likely to experience significant threats to production which are amplified by the repercussive nature of climate risks. The burden of adapting food systems to the threats of climate change and the goals of the Paris Agreement falls on farmers who lack the capital to effectively adapt to emerging risks. This paper argues that reparations through the loss and damage fund is a critical component of climate justice for women farmers for ensuring short term adaptation gains and for repairing climate systems ravaged by the pollution of industrialized nations.