Nexus between land use and climate change: Women demand a role

Arusha, Tanzania: Women must now be at the centre of all talks around land use planning and climate change, gender rights and climate activists meeting in Arusha said on Monday.

Charles Mwangi, of PACJA said while climate change affects everyone, women, particularly women in rural areas are hit the most. Speaking while opening a workshop on the role and participation of women in land use planning for heightened climate resilience in East Africa, Mwangi said time was ripe to integrating women in climate change dialogue.

Sylvia Theonest Mutasingwa from the office of the Vice President said the Tanzanian Government will strive to mainstream women in land use planning since women are the most affected by climate change yet solutions to most of these issues lie with them. But they need to be empowered, given capacity and be integrated into discussions around climate change and land use planning.

Florence Kasule, Chair, PACJA Uganda said defending rights for women in land use planning is crucial at such a time as this, particularly within the communal land use which tend to exclude women.

Kaaya Christine, a woman MP in Uganda and PACJA Climate Woman Champion said women must begin to take up spaces within national, regional and international spaces where issues of land and climate change are on the table.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 5th assessment report on land use and land use changes contribution to climate change noted that Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Uses (AFOLU) sector is responsible for under a quarter (~10–12 GtCO2eq/yr.) of anthropogenic GHG emissions mainly from deforestation and agricultural emissions from livestock and soil. However existing gender inequalities and development gaps, weak adaptive capacities place a greater burden on women, who constitute the majority of land users continue being excluded from policy formulations.

Land is considered as one the most fundamental resource in African countries. Even so, Climate change and increased stresses on land compounds existing risks to livelihoods, biodiversity, human and ecosystem health, governance systems and food production systems. With the prevalent COVID-19 pandemic, the already delicate situation in the East African region as a result of climate emergency is even extremely exacerbated.

The East Africa region is categorized by fragile ecosystems of arid and semi-arid lands that are particularly vulnerable to climatic and non-climatic impacts and risks.