Farming women 'care more about climate change' than the male farmers
Farming women are more concerned about the climate resilience of their farms than their male counterparts, new research found. A Victoria University of Wellington study looked at Kiwi farmers perceptions of future droughts and climate change, and how that influenced the way they tackled climate-related issues on their farms. The study found farming women were more concerned about droughts than male farmers. They were also more focused on increasing climate resilience on farms, and used water more efficiently. Researcher Thi Mui Nguyen said traditionally, women cared more about how food and nutrition affected their families than men. READ MORE: * Can regenerative farming live up to the hype? * Uncounted and unseen, is this the biggest planet warmer you've never heard of? * Hot cows, less delicious wine: The problems food growers face with climate change Women were more concerned about how climate change would directly affect their families, Nguyen said. The study showed male and female farmers with tertiary education were more concerned about drought, the possibility of water shortages and climate issues than their peers who did not have a tertiary education, Nguyen said. Studies in the United States also showed college-educated female farmers were more concerned about global warming, Nguyen said. Dairy farmer and rural women advocate Loshni Manikam said women had begun picking up a lot of slack on the farm in recent years, because farming had become more complex. The traditional male-dominated way of farming was no longer fit for purpose because running a modern farm had many requirements that that did not exist a few years ago, Manikam said. Women often brought environmental management skills learned working in other industries, or gained from running their own farm, she said. Manikam said farming women had many responsibilities that sometimes were invisible, and they needed support to continue as leaders in the environmental practices. But, it was wrong to think that men did not care about the environment, Manikam said. The study found male farmers who owned or leased bigger farms tended to focus on climate challenges more than others. Older farmers focused their efforts on greenhouse gas emission reduction more than younger farmers, the study found. Farmers who were concerned about an increased risk of drought by 2050 focused more on reducing greenhouse gas emissions on their farms than farmers who did not believe there was increased risk. Farmers who were concerned also worked to improve the climate resilience of their farms, and tried to reduce their use of water, the study found.