Women Farmers in Malawi Tackle Climate Change and Gender Inequalities through Greenhouse Programme

Mar 6, 2024 | UN WOMEN
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The greenhouses of the Kambuku Cooperatives stand proudly among newly planted maize fields about 23 kilometres from Malawi’s capital city of Lilongwe. The facilities stand out not just because they represent an innovative farm practice for the region, but also because they aim to address both climate change and gender-based inequalities faced by women farmers.

Women constitute 70 per cent of full-time farmers in Malawi, and produce more than 80 per cent of subsistence crops. Although farmers in the country typically rely on natural rains for cultivating their crops, the country is prone to dry spells, intense rainfall, pests, and disease outbreaks, all of which are worsened by climate change.

“Climate change and food and nutrition insecurity have posed the greatest development challenges of our times”, said UN Women Malawi Representative Letty Chiwara. “Only greater investments in sustainable food system will ensure food security for all.”