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- Convenors:
-
Sarika Chaudhary
(Jawaharlal Nehru University)
Amaresh Dubey (Jawaharlal Nehru University)
Wendy Olsen (University of Manchester)
Rajesh Kumar Mall (Banaras Hindu University)
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- Chair:
-
Rajesh Kumar Mall
(Banaras Hindu University)
- Discussant:
-
Wendy Olsen
(University of Manchester)
- Format:
- Paper panel
- Stream:
- Gender, work and wellbeing
Short Abstract:
Perceptible weather anomalies across geographical regions are affecting livelihoods. Scattered empirical evidence show extreme whether has started impacting labour demand and supply. This panel will consider submissions on climate change induced effects on female labour participation in South Asia.
Description:
There is general consensus among the climate scientists that perceptible weather anomalies are occurring across geographical regions. Observable weather anomalies include extreme temperatures and wide fluctuations in rainfall, which adversely affect agricultural production and productivity, posing significant challenges to food security.
Extreme weather events contribute to the build-up of pests, diseases, and weeds, necessitating crop diversification to build resilience. This often leads to increased use of defensive inputs such as pesticides and weeding. More importantly, the higher costs of inputs and climate-resilient seeds have a differential impact on farms of varying sizes, especially in the Global South. Small farm households, constrained by limited credit and liquidity, are likely to use fewer pesticides and rely more heavily on unpaid family labour.
In addition, farm sizes are continuously shrinking, e.g. in India primarily because to Indian inheritance laws. The increased use of farm inputs, crop diversification and the resulting implications for farm sizes may significantly alter labour demand and supply in agriculture. Given that farm households in many developing countries face immense liquidity constraints in purchasing farm inputs such as pesticides, usages of labour for weeding may be directly triggered to respond to temperature induced pests and disease build-up.
The labour implications of extreme heat events are not fully understood. While some evidence on labour implications exists, it remains scattered and not specific to the agricultural sector.
This panel invites empirical submissions exploring the effects of climate change on the demand and supply of female labour in agriculture, particularly in South Asia.
Accepted papers:
Session 1Paper short abstract:
This paper explores how climate change impacts the engagement of female labour in agriculture in the Sundarban delta, which routinely experiences flooding and cyclones due to climate change, through case studies and semi-structured interviews.
Paper long abstract:
It is well-evidenced that climate change has a detrimental adverse impact on agricultural practice and productivity. However, the extent and manifestations of this impact could vary across geographic contexts. The Sundarban delta in India and Bangladesh, which is the focus of this study, primarily generates income for its residents through agriculture. It annually experiences severe floods and cyclones due to climate change which significantly impacts the resilience of agricultural livelihoods of its residents. In South Asia, agriculture is heavily dependent on women’s formal and informal work. Climate change has made continuing agriculture hazardous and expensive. It leads to an inequality trap, threatening their livelihoods, rendering them at risk of other vulnerabilities, forcing migration, and impacting their health outcomes. Given that women play a pivotal role in agriculture in the region, the impact of climate change on their livelihoods and ability to continue agriculture is worth considering. This paper aims to establish the various ways climate change determines women’s participation in agriculture in the Sundarban delta through case studies and focus group discussions.
Paper short abstract:
The paper studies the effect of increase in heat on the labour force participation rate and wages of the workers during the maximum heated months from 1983 to 2024. It reveals a larger fall in the real wage rate for women and Dalits in Indian agriculture with increasing temperature.
Paper long abstract:
Globally, there has been a fall in labour capacity to 90% of the previous decades and with rising heat stress further falls are expected in future (Dunne, Stouffer, & John, 2013). Effect of temperature shocks is reported to be negative, pushing people out of villages, besides dampening earnings in non-agricultural sectors (Neog, 2022). Evidence based on Indian agriculture show falling employment and wages with rising temperature. The paper studies the effect of increase in heat on the labour force participation rate and wages of the workers during the maximum heated months. The variations in the effect across gender, social groups and regions is studied for various industrial classification. We use data on temperature and rainfall from India Meteorological Department and data on the labour statistics from the Employment and Unemployment rounds (1983-84 to 2011-12) and PLFS data from 2017-18 to 2023-24. Professions requiring more outdoor activities have larger exposure to heat than jobs, in some built-in sheds. A social group-wise and gendered analysis is done to see the varying proportion of different social groups in their exposure to heat through occupation. The analysis reveals a larger fall in the real wage rate for women and marginalised social groups (SCs) in agriculture with increasing temperature. The labour force participation rate, however, does not significantly vary with changes in temperature. Thus, people cannot afford to remain out of the labour market because of climatic conditions but their productivity falls.
Paper short abstract:
This paper will offer critical insights into the role female activists in Myanmar and Nepal play in mitigating and challenging the gendered and intersectional impact of climate crises, conflict and gendered inequalities including violence and reduced income generating opportunities.
Paper long abstract:
This paper will offer critical insights into the role female activists in Myanmar and Nepal play in mitigating and challenging the gendered and intersectional impact of climate crises, conflict and gendered inequalities including violence and reduced income generating opportunities. There is urgency to understand these intersections given the ever-deteriorating climate emergency in Myanmar and Nepal, both ranked in the top five most affected countries globally. Despite the existence of female activists and networks in both contexts little is known about how they tackle the complex and multiple crises and the resulting deepening vulnerabilities of women and girls. This paper will present data gathered using multiple methods including remote data collection techniques. A women and girls centred approach was applied in order to capture the voices of those most marginalised and those working to build their resilience. The paper will share insights into the work of grass-roots activists in both contexts who are fighting climate crises, conflict and gendered inequalities.
Paper short abstract:
I will present an emperical work on gener mainstreaming and climate change by looking at the case of Pakistan. The study contributes to developing a framework for gender mainstreaming in local climate adaptation in the agriculture sector.
Paper long abstract:
The study contributes to developing a framework for gender mainstreaming in local climate adaptation actions and policies by studying the local cases of climate adaptation in the agriculture sector of Pakistan. Climate adaptation policies are key to addressing the challenge of climate change. Adaptation is a local phenomenon, it is, therefore, imperative to produce collaborative governance through engaging local actors where gender mainstreaming is key in climate change policies. However, evidence suggests that women are not properly engaged in climate change policies and planning. Therefore, this study is conducted to understand why women are not meaningfully involved in climate adaptation planning by looking at the case of the agriculture sector of Pakistan. Moreover, the study investigates what are the driving factors that may facilitate effective gender engagement in climate adaptation actions. The results showed that women farmers' involvement in agriculture policy-making and decision-making in Pakistan is limited due to social, cultural, literacy and monetary elements. The driving factors for limited participation of women in decision making are their limited knowledge on climate change, lack of participation in overall decision making, and monetary free among others. It is suggested that government initiate proper feedback measures for the successful implementation of policy and also the inclusion of women in leading roles and the economic sector. This study helps policymakers to properly engage women at the local scale in decision-making and climate adaptation policy formulation and climate planning.
Keywords: adaptation, agriculture, climate change, policies, Pakistan, women
Paper short abstract:
Disasters have a disproportionate effect on women, exacerbating existing gender inequalities. The role of women's representation in policies that can either mitigate or worsen vulnerabilities faced by women. Thus integrating a gender perspective into disaster policy is essential.
Paper long abstract:
Disasters have a disproportionate effect on women, deteriorating existing gender inequalities and posing unique challenges to their safety and rights. The paper examines the connexion of women's rights, national policies, and disaster contexts, emphasizing the critical need for gender-sensitive disaster management frameworks. The review highlights how state policies can either mitigate or worsen vulnerabilities faced by women during and after disasters. The inadequate representation of women in disaster management leads to ineffective responses, while gender-sensitive approaches enhance resilience and recovery outcomes is the key finding of the paper. The paper also finds gaps in existing policies including pressing issues including insufficient training for disaster responders and the lack of gender-disaggregated data, which hinder effective implementation. It also underscores the importance of women's participation in decision-making processes to ensure their needs are prioritized. The paper suggests that integrating a gender perspective into disaster policy is essential for both equity and effective disaster management. Integration among governments, NGOs, and local communities, states can develop more inclusive and equitable disaster response strategies. The findings advocate for a transformative approach to disaster governance that recognizes and addresses the unique challenges faced by women, ultimately contributing to more resilient communities.