Climate Change Gives Rise to Layered Burdens for Rural Women

Climate change has a tangible impact on rural farming households that depend on natural resources for their livelihood. When rainfall becomes unpredictable, seasons shift, and land productivity declines, it disrupts not only crop yields but also the daily stability of family life. For many families, this uncertainty quickly turns into direct economic pressure. In such situations, households have few options. When agricultural output no longer suffices to meet needs, some men choose to migrate in search of additional income. Migration becomes a rational survival strategy, yet it simultaneously alters the household’s living structure. What often goes unseen is what happens afterwards. The household does not become lighter; instead, the burden shifts and accumulates on those who remain—particularly women. They not only continue their unending domestic work but also take over productive tasks in the fields and ensure the family’s livelihood sustainability. This change occurs gradually but consistently. Women manage the kitchen, ensure children continue schooling, while also working the land to tend crops. They must determine planting times in increasingly difficult-to-predict seasons, manage uncertain yields, and adapt to ever-changing pressures. In many cases, there is no clear division of labour—everything is handled simultaneously. It is here that climate change operates not merely as an ecological issue but also as a social one. It shifts ways of life, reshapes roles, and redistributes burdens within the household. Women become the main pillars of livelihood sustainability, not by deliberate choice but by circumstances that place them in that position. In this context, agroforestry is often cited as one adaptation strategy.