Govts, donors failing women farmers in climate change fight – Oxfam

By John Oba

 

Abuja

Governments both local and internationals donors have been accused of neglecting women farmers from getting the resources they need to feed their families and communities and adapt to climate change.
A statement by Oxfam Nigeria on policies and public investments in six countries exposes a sham in the rhetoric and commitments by countries and donors to shore up the agricultural sector and to focus support on women farmers.
The findings come in year of rising hunger, fueled by confl icts and supercharged weather events.
A brutal drought in East Africa pushed millions to the brink of famine; several Category Five hurricanes slammed into the Caribbean and the United States; fl ooding in South Asia killed more than a thousand people.
Oxfam looked at agricultural policies and public investments in Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Tanzania and found two major problems.
First, very little money is going to support small-scale farmers and helping them become more resilient to climate change.
Second, it’s almost impossible to know how much is really reaching women farmers, a group especially threatened by climate change.
“Climate change is not some far-off threat; it’s here now and putting lives in danger,” said Rashmi Mistry, the head of Oxfam’s GROW campaign.
“Governments are breaking their promises to give more resources to farmers.
Women on the front lines of climate change can’t continue to struggle on while waiting for money to trickle down to them.
Investing directly in women farmers not only helps them and their families, it bolsters the food security for entire communities.
” Oxfam called on donor governments to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and step up their funding aimed at helping communities adapt to climate change.
Developing countries must increase funding specifi cally for women farmers.

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