Mutare Correspondents
RURAL women are the hardest hit by challenges emanating from climate change as they have to devise ways of adapting to the changes in agricultural systems and patterns, a gender officer has said. Speaking at a field day held at Nhedziwa, Chimanimani, Caritas Mutare gender officer, Ms Ivy Mutungwazi stressed how climate change had affected rural women in the province.

“There is a need to continuously empower and capacitate women living in rural areas so that they can strengthen their households as well as mitigate the effects of climate change.

“Due to changing weather patterns the critical role of women in enhancing agricultural development as well as ensuring food security is increasingly becoming difficult hence it is imperative that we come up with mitigation strategies for these changes,” she said.

Ms Mutungwazi said climate change had worsened rural women’s workload compared to that of their urban counterparts.
“Rural women are highly dependent on agriculture for their livelihood, and climate change has affected the viability of the agricultural sector.”

She outlined how recent dry spells had a negative impact on crop yields forcing women to look for alternative ways of accessing food.

“In a bid to survive, women have had to fall back on the environment with some cutting down trees for firewood, creating more problems for our environment as this indiscriminate cutting of trees has accelerated climate change,” said Ms Mutu- ngwazi.
Caritas programmes manager Mr Nhamo Hondoyomoto emphasised on the need for women to empower themselves through economic and sustainable agricultural practices.

“Households can improve food security and income by engaging in conservation farming, small livestock production and small grain production”, he said.

Mr Hondoyomoto outlined how social structures and productive human work are predominantly female-driven.
Most of the times women rarely receive credit for their work.

“Existing gender dynamics are oppressive to women as they continue to marginalise them in spite of their contribution to society.

“Women’s contribution in agriculture is immense as the vast majority of them live in rural areas. As such it is important to close the gender gaps in agriculture to ensure food security, build climate resilience and end poverty.”

Mr Hondoyomoto encouraged women to be innovative and to look for solutions that speak to women.

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