Climate change is currently aggravating environmental issues such as deforestation, land degradation, freshwater shortage, food security, air and water pollution. Projected increases in extreme climatic events as well as more changes in the weather patterns may further threaten the means of livelihoods in the face of inaction. The cclimate is changing with serious and potentially more damaging consequences. In Nigeria, agriculture and food security, water resources, public health, and settlements sectors are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Most vulnerable regions are coastal regions and erosion and desertification-prone areas in the south eastern and northern parts of the country respectively. While everyone is vulnerable, the most vulnerable groups are farmers, fisherfolks, the elderly, women, children and poor people living in urban areas. Climate change will cost Nigeria between 6% and 30% of its GDP by 2050, this is estimated to be about $100 billion and $460 billion. It was projected that climate change will cause food production to fall, with lower yields from major crops. This projected impact will occur simultaneously with rising crop demand, which is also projected to increase by about 14% per decade until 2050.
The development Research and Projects Centre, dRPC’s civil society organizations (CSOs) Association of Women in Trade and Agriculture, AWITA and the National Association of Women in Agriculture, NAWIA are therefore working to support with relevant stakeholders to enable Nigeria to respond effectively to the impact of climate change to reduce its vulnerability and enhance its resilience so that the national priorities of rapid economic growth, energy sufficiency, job creation, food security and transparent and accountable climate change governance will be properly addressed.
It is in view of this that our coalition members, the Association of Women in Trade and Agriculture, AWITA and the National Association of Women in Agriculture, NAWIA, are working with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, to build the
The coalition has supported the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to organize the North Central zonal workshop on climate change and the impact on farmers. The workshop organized on the 3rd of March 2022 had over 200 women farmers from the six states of Benue, Plateau, Niger, Nassarawa, Kogi, and the FCT. Through this workshop, women farmers were educated on alternative methods to reduce harmful practices on the climate.
The PAWED coalition members have also been inducted as members of the national steering working committee on gender in agriculture of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development which was inaugurated in 2021.
