Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture and Gender in Jamaica

Question 5: Discuss the likely gender impact of climate change on either the agricultural sector or the tourism sector in a named Caribbean country of your choice. Explain the gender-sensitive adaptation strategies that could be used to reduce vulnerabilities and risks of men and women in the sector that you selected.

Name: Kerene Douglas I.D number: 620039980 Lecturer: Leith Dunn Course Code: GEND 3032 Course Title: Gender Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management Due date: March 6, 2014

Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture and Gender in Jamaica

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (2004), defined climate change as a scientifically proven phenomenon that includes any change in the climate, whether due to its natural variability or as a result of human activity. Climate change in its complex state is one that affects human lives internationally, regionally and nationally. However developing countries such as Jamaica whose main form of income is derived from the agricultural sector are at greater risk of experiencing detrimental impacts of climate change. The rising of sea level and the changing temperatures are only two of many ways in which Jamaica will be impacted by Climate change. In addition to being more vulnerable to climate change, Jamaican men and women will be impacted differently and disproportionately based on their gender and class especially for those who are dependent on agriculture. Climate Change is a multidimensional problem whose causes and consequences are clearly related to the present development model, which has led to more inequality and poverty which affects people but women and the poor are more vulnerable (UNDP, 2004.p.20). As mentioned earlier each gender is affected differently by climate change. However women are disproportionately affected due to the roles they play in a highly patriarchal society, such as Jamaica, which places men above women and men as main decision makers. Patriarchy is a system of total male dominance which places men in powerful positions and women in subordinate positions. It alludes that women must be dependent and submissive to men. UNDP (2004) alludes that because of their roles, unequal access to resources and limited mobility, women in many context are disproportionately affected by natural disasters such as floods, fires and mudslides (p.20). Women for example are more vulnerable to being raped and abused during a disaster. Within the context of climate change women are disproportionately impacted due to their positions held in society. It is linked to the fact that even though women are not the

Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture and Gender in Jamaica

head of the household they are instead in charge of its daily activity of cooking, cleaning, reproducing as well as being in charge of food preparation and security. Women in rural areas in developing countries have major responsibility for household water supply and energy for food security and are negatively affected by droughts, uncertain rainfall and deforestation (UNDP 2004, p.20). Although rural women and men play complimentary roles in guaranteeing food security, women tend to play greater role in natural resource management and ensuring nutrition ( cited from Bridge development-gender, p.4). In rural Jamaica women are out in the fields with their husbands sowing and reaping crops. They are in charge of the food security as soon as it is reaped and are therefore in charge of ensuring that it stays safe to sell and earn a profit for the family. Men are affected by climate change when crops are damaged and they are unable to fend for their families. According to Barry Chevannes 1995, a mans sole purpose is to provide and protect for their families. As a result of climate change and the damaging effects, men are unable to provide for their families and fulfill their God-given roles. This can lead to them being aggressive towards their families when they are frustrated due to them being unable to fulfill their responsibilities based on patriarchal ideologies. This is so because according to Linden Lewis (1994), when men are unable to provide for their families they abuse and beat their wives as ways of maintaining power over them. Agriculture is considered as being one of the most lucrative revenue sectors in the Jamaican society. Rural areas are viewed in terms of little or no development due to the lack of proper infrastructures and facilities such as access to proper health, education and employment and are therefore viewed at the lowest end of the class strata. Jamaicans living in rural areas main form of income is derived from agriculture. Therefore being faced with an issue such as climate

Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture and Gender in Jamaica

change with droughts, floods, storms and landslides among several others, rural area individuals will not only lose their crops but their main income for survival. Agriculture is vital to the Jamaican society and due to the devastating impact on human lives and economic development climate change if not addressed will not only affect lower class men and women but the entire country. Agriculture if disrupted it will not only lead to underdevelopment but poverty which is already having a negative impact on the Jamaican society. Based on the definition given for climate change it postulated that climate change is not only a natural event but one that is caused by human activity. These activities includes; deforestation, pollution, green house gas emission and many other human activities. Agriculture will be negatively impacted by Climate Change as a result of storms and droughts that may plague the land. During a storm for example crops will be destroyed by landslides, the top soil will be washed away and may prove difficult when growing crops again. Additionally water is essential for growth and food security. When there is water shortage farmers will be faced with the lost of crops and their source of income. The impacts on agriculture has been listed however there is need for greater interventions in policies and programmes to reduce or prevent the devastating impacts that climate change will have on the Jamaican Society if greater emphasis are not placed on disaster risk management. In doing so all sectors and individuals especially women must be included in intervention programmes and policies to ensure that the risk of climate change and disaster are reduced if not diminished. Office of disaster preparedness and emergency management (ODPEM, 2008), describe hazard risk as the development and application of the policies, procedures and capacities by the society and communities to lessen the negative impacts of possible natural hazards and related environmental and man-made disasters. In response to the necessary

Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture and Gender in Jamaica

interventions that must be adopted UNDP (2004), suggested that there must be gender-sensitive strategies in responding to environmental and humanitarian crises caused by climate change (p.20). Women must also be included in these programmes for adaptation and mitigation. In order to do this a gender analysis must be done to evaluate the impact of gender on climate change and agriculture in the Jamaican society. As well as the mainstreaming of gender in all programmes that will reduce the risk of climate change. United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNSR, 2008), defined mitigation as the lessening or limitation of the adverse impacts of hazards and the related disasters. They further postulated that mitigation creates safer communities by reducing losses of life and property and overall human suffering (as cited by ODPEM, 2008). Mitigation is an essential part of climate change it is there to ensure that measures are taken to reduce the risk of disasters by putting in places strategies and programmes to reduce the impact that climate change may have on individuals both at the national and community level. Additionally steps must be taken to educate the public of the risk that they are faced with and how they can go about reducing these risks. In concluding the gender impact of climate change on the agricultural sector is one that seeks urgent attention in the Jamaican society. The likely threats of droughts, landslides, storms, fires among several other forms of climate change disaster will have a negative impact on the agricultural sector when crops are prevented from developing due to changing top soils among other negative impacts. Additionally women and men are also affected differently by climate change as well as socio-economic background of individuals. All these things affect the development of Jamaican which places great emphasis on the agricultural sector. Therefore programmes, policies and mitigation strategies must be tailored to a gender mainstreaming and

Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture and Gender in Jamaica

gender sensitive approach which will help to reduce the likely impacts of gender and climate change on agriculture in the Jamaican society.

Reference Antrobus, Peggy (1993). Gender issues in Caribbean Development. Pp.68-77 in Stanley Lalta and Marie Freckleton (eds.). Caribbean Economic Development: the first generation. Kingston, Jamaica. Ian Randle Publishers. Brody, Demetriades and Esplen (2008). Bridge development-gender: Mapping the linkages: A scoping study on Knowledge and gaps. Institute of Development Studies. University of Sussex. Brighton UK. Chevannes, B. (1995) Why man stay so, why woman stay so: Finding the Gender Socialization Project in the Caribbean. The University of the West Indies Publisher.

Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture and Gender in Jamaica

Lewis , L. (1994).Constructing the Masculine in the context of the Caribbean. Presented at the 19th annual Caribbean Studies conference held in Merida, May 23-28. Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM, 2008). How ODPEM actively prepares Jamaica for disasters: Hazards Mitigation Planning. Retreived from http://www.odpem.org.jm/Beprepared/HowODPEMPreparesJa/ JA/tabid/72/Default.asp. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), (2007). Resource Guide on Gender and Climate Change: What is Climate Change? United nations Deveploment programme publisher.