A new report by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has revealed that women and girls are not just victims of drought but key leaders in building resilience against its effects.
Launched on the International Day of Rural Women, the report, “Women-Led Solutions for Drought Resilience,” called for greater recognition and support of women-led efforts to protect vulnerable communities from drought. It also emphasised the importance of securing women’s land rights to achieve food security.
“Women have long been considered the most vulnerable to drought, but they are also among the most resilient,” said UNCCD’s executive secretary, Ibrahim Thiaw. He praised women’s ingenuity, citing examples from Africa’s Sahel, Iran, Peru and Morocco, where they have found ways to keep their families thriving despite drought. Addressing gender inequality is vital for unlocking this untapped potential in the fight against climate change.
The report outlined how structural gender inequalities limit women’s access to critical resources such as land, water and financial services, which place additional burdens on them during drought. Women and girls often have the responsibility of collecting water, which puts their safety at risk and complicates their ability to cope with drought, particularly as they manage unpaid care work.
Despite these challenges, women continue to develop innovative solutions to adapt to increasingly harsh conditions. For instance, women produce up to 80 per cent of food in developing countries but own less than 20 per cent of the land. This disparity affects their access to credit, training, and resources, further exacerbating their vulnerability to drought and climate change.
Drought accounts for 15 per cent of global disaster-related economic losses and is responsible for 85.8 per cent of livestock deaths, severely affecting women in agricultural regions. As women comprise a significant portion of the agricultural labor force, the destruction of crops and livestock due to drought further endangers their livelihoods.
The report also emphasised the environmental and economic benefits of securing land rights for women. Research shows that when women have land rights, household nutrition improves, children’s education is prioritised and overall economic conditions are enhanced.
The report includes 35 case studies from Africa, Asia and Latin America showcasing women’s leadership in drought resilience. Examples range from women in Peru using ecohydrological monitoring to ensure year-round vegetation for livestock to women in India developing rainwater collection systems during monsoons to safeguard crops. In Kyrgyzstan, women restore degraded land by cultivating medicinal herbs, creating sustainable income sources while promoting environmental recovery.
Looking ahead, the findings will shape discussions at the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the UNCCD, scheduled for December 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. One key focus will be scaling up women-led initiatives and ensuring that gender-responsive strategies are central to global drought resilience efforts. Increased investment in these strategies will be vital to supporting communities facing the growing challenges of desertification, land degradation, and drought.
