CLIMATE CHANGE AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS ON WOMEN FARMERS’ LIVELIHOODS IN RURAL PAKISTAN

Abstract

Climate change has emerged as a critical challenge for rural Pakistan, where agriculture forms the backbone of livelihoods and women farmers constitute a significant yet often overlooked labor force. This study examines the socio-economic impacts of climate change on women engaged in smallholder farming, focusing on how environmental stressors—such as drought, floods, water scarcity, soil degradation, and shifting crop patterns—intersect with gendered vulnerabilities. Drawing on a mixed-method approach combining household surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews across selected rural districts, the research highlights how climate variability intensifies women’s economic insecurity, increases their unpaid labor burden, and constrains access to resources such as land, credit, and agricultural inputs. Findings reveal that women farmers are disproportionately affected due to limited decision-making power, structural inequalities, and inadequate policy support, which collectively exacerbate poverty and food insecurity at the household level. At the same time, the study identifies indigenous adaptation strategies and informal coping mechanisms that women employ to sustain livelihoods under climate stress, though these remain insufficient without institutional support. The research underscores the urgent need for gender-sensitive climate policies, targeted social protection, and capacity-building programs that enhance women’s economic resilience while strengthening climate adaptation in rural agriculture. By situating women at the center of climate–livelihood discourse, the study contributes to a more inclusive understanding of climate change impacts and policy responses in Pakistan