Building Gender-Neutral Resilience in the Agriculture Sector – Manila Newsletter

When you think of farmers, the first image that usually comes to mind is of a middle-aged man transplanting seedlings into the field. Very little attention is paid to women farmers due to age-old traditions and stereotypes in agriculture. About a quarter of the agricultural workforce in the Philippines is made up of women and they are often relegated to lighter tasks, or worse, unpaid jobs in agriculture.

Over the past five years, there has been progress in terms of gender mainstreaming for national adaptation planning (NAP) in agriculture. However, its implementation on the ground takes some time. The worsening climate crisis puts women in agriculture, often wearing multiple hats, at even greater risk.

I had the chance to speak to a small group of women farmers in one city composing about their climate information needs before the pandemic and before one of the largest media outlets in the country shut down. The information and observations I have gathered go beyond my four-page questionnaire. It was there that I realized that, maybe, information might not be a main problem. Perhaps changing their perception of their roles is a bigger issue that needs to be addressed.

“Umattend lang ako kapalit ng asawa ko (I participated [the training] on behalf of my husband), ”said one of my respondents when I asked about their participation in climate smart agriculture trainings. This is where the question must be asked: how can policies and support organizations make them aware that they are players of equal importance in their sector?

There are several factors at play here. In the Philippines, women and girls typically participate in low-paid, or worse, unpaid labor to perform “less profitable” harvesting tasks compared to the “traditionally heavy” tasks performed by men in the fields. On top of that, there are very few enabling environments that put women at an advantage in agriculture in the Philippines. For example, there are only about 10 percent female land title owners in the country.

Women are mothers, teachers, babysitters, housewives, among others. They do a million things a day and probably know the ins and outs of their local farming context very well better than anyone. When I traveled the Philippines to visit agricultural offices, I often saw women farmers doing business with technicians, obtaining seeds, paying for insurance, and all the important steps needed to prepare for a successful harvest.

The worsening climate not only increases the risk to farmers’ livelihoods, it also increases the pressure on women to prepare better for disasters. During disaster recovery, women farmers often see their livelihoods take a back seat as they have to take care of their families, manage health risks and rebuild their lives.

Climate change is not the only thing women farmers face. In the process of building climate resilience, women become stewards of environmental protection. Their work, experience and culture help to preserve ecosystem services, indigenous cultures and biodiversity in general.

We still have a long way to go to recognize the very important role of women in agriculture and climate resilience. We need more effective and holistic policies in the sector. Despite the Magna Carta for Women, there are very few gender perspectives in agricultural policies and they fail to close the gap in access to opportunities for women to develop appropriate skills to adapt to the climate change.

Inviting women farmers and leaders in co-creating initiatives, and not just sharing information, can open up new perspectives in climate change adaptation and mitigation. Investing in women in agriculture will not only improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, but also provide better spaces to instill risk reduction and resilience practices in the home.

There is still a long way to go to get rid of traditional practices and stereotypes in agriculture. Women have become managers and important links in networks that are essential to the success of initiatives to combat climate change. We need more favorable evidence-based policies that elevate the issues of women farmers into agriculture and development platforms.

About the Author

Ysabel Anne Lee is currently Asia Communications Officer for the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). She graduated with a Masters in Disaster Risk and Resilience Program at Ateneo University in Manila and has over five years of experience in science development and communication. She is also a 2019-trained Climate Reality Leader in Atlanta, Georgia, and was a mentor for the 2020 Global Climate Reality Leadership Corps training.