The Unjust Climate: Measuring the impacts of climate change on rural poor, women, and youth

More intense and frequent climate events are increasingly disrupting agriculture-based livelihoods, with disproportionate effects on marginalized groups, including women farmers. Yet there is a lack of empirical research on the adverse effects of these extreme weather events, making it even more challenging to build smallholders’ resilience and address rising gender inequalities.

In a recent report, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations quantified the negative impacts of certain extreme climate events on poor rural households. The report, which included contributions from the International Food Policy Research Institute’s Gender, Climate Change and Nutrition Integration Initiative, found that both floods and heat stress have already widened the income gap between poor and non-poor households by US$20 billion a year. Among other findings, it also showed that each day with extremely high temperatures reduces the total value of crops produced by women farmers by 3 percent relative to men.

Please join us to discuss key results from the report and hear from policymakers, practitioners, and partners on how they are working to generate relevant evidence and make a difference on the ground.