Enabling women farmers in Odisha to combat heat stress

by Pooja Kori, Benu Verma, Ranjitha Puskur

As global temperatures rise, heat stress has become a significant concern with varied effects on agricultural production, human health and productivity, and sustainability. Heat stress threatens food security and can exacerbate existing social and gender inequalities. Seventy percent of global agriculture will be exposed to the risk of heat stress by 2045. Smallholder farmers, who account for 85% of farmers globally, face heightened challenges owing to inadequate resources and a lack of adaptive strategies to combat extreme heat. Workers, especially those working outdoors, like farmers, face serious health and safety risks because of rising temperatures. Prolonged heat exposure can lead to health issues such as heatstroke, organ damage, and cognitive impairments, significantly reducing working capacity and increasing fatalities.

The effects of heat stress are compounded for rural women due to their social status, cultural norms, and economic disparities. Due to the physiological constitution of women, they are 3.7 times more likely to experience heat intolerance than men. Restrictive clothing norms, limited access to cooling resources (such as shaded areas, cool drinking water, cooling devices like fans or air conditioning), and sociocultural barriers to healthcare exacerbate their vulnerability. These challenges posed by heat stress could widen existing gender gaps, making working conditions worse for the many women in subsistence agriculture. Yet, rural women’s unique challenges remain largely underexplored in heat stress management efforts, leaving critical gaps in addressing their needs and building resilience for this vulnerable group.

The Evidence Module of CGIAR GENDER Impact Platform, led by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in partnership with Awaas Sewa Pvt. Ltd (ASPL), conducted three workshops between August and October 2024 with women farmers from two villages of Ganjam, a coastal district in southern Odisha, India. Around 80% of…