Paper short abstract:

Global patterns of inequality are deeply entwined with climate change. Achieving global food security requires recognising the detrimental social, economic and health effects of climate change on the poorest and most vulnerable and the establishment of sustainable food systems.

Paper long abstract:

Climate change is more than an environmental issue with consequences observed in social, economic, and human rights. Climate crisis continues to widen existing global inequalities and injustices with women being disproportionally disadvantaged as they witness extreme weather events, property losses, ill-health, food and livelihood insecurity. Their susceptibility may be due to combined socio-cultural factors inclusive of geographical locations, financial, socio-economic, cultural and gender construed activities such as domestic responsibility and unpaid care work. At the heart of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) lies the goal of sustainable food systems, aimed at transforming agriculture so as to end hunger, improve nutrition and ultimately achieve food security by 2030. Establishing a socially just global sustainable food system requires the food system to be environmentally resilient, redesigned for increased productivity and inclusive of the voices of the poor and socially marginalised groups. Gender equality is key towards achieving a sustainable food system, but it becomes impossible to achieve it if women are still disproportionally disadvantaged. This study examines the gender gap, sustainable food systems, and social justice nexus among smallholder farmers in Nigeria by specifically examining historical and existing socio-cultural norms and how it has influenced the food systems in Nigeria. The study made use of secondary data obtained from the ECOWAS-RAAF-PASANAO survey conducted in Nigeria. The result has shown that males owned more assets and participated more in decision making across the six agro-ecological zones while the women were more involved in unpaid child care thus limiting agricultural labour participation.