Adapting Philippine Agriculture to Climate Change (APA)

The report assesses gender parity and agricultural roles in the Philippines, highlighting that while the country ranks high in general gender equality, rural female farmers face systemic barriers in land ownership, credit access, and strategic decision-making. It identifies the critical role of indigenous women as custodians of climate-resilient traditional knowledge and proposes a Gender Action Plan to empower women, youth, and indigenous peoples as agents of change in climate-resilient agriculture.

• The Philippines is ranked among the top ten countries globally for gender equality, with high literacy rates (over 96%) and parity in senior official and managerial positions, though these statistics primarily reflect the upper socioeconomic stratum.
• Despite general parity, rural women face significant barriers in agriculture; they are often not registered as farmers in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), appearing only as dependents of their husbands.
• Women are generally more active in attending agricultural trainings, but men typically retain the final authority over strategic decisions regarding the adoption of new farming methods.
• Customary practices of registering land in men's names disadvantage women in accessing formal credit and insurance, often requiring a husband's co-signature for financial transactions.
• Indigenous women possess extensive, undocumented knowledge of plant biodiversity, seed selection, and traditional farming systems that are essential for climate-resilient agriculture.
• Farmers have observed irregular rainfall, higher temperatures, and increased frequency of floods and landslides, leading to higher crop mortality and the emergence of new pests.
• The Agta people utilize traditional knowledge for disaster resilience, such as the 'kurob' (a one-room hut made of indigenous materials) which can resist strong winds during typhoons.
• Youth unemployment in the Philippines is significantly higher than the general population, with a more pronounced gap for female youth, contributing to an aging agricultural sector (average age 57 in 2019).
• Women's reproductive health is hindered by a lack of budget and political will, as well as the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, resulting in a maternal mortality rate of 114 per 100,000 live births.
• Gender-based violence is more tolerated in rural areas than urban areas, with 16% of the poorest women believing it is justified for husbands to use violence if children are neglected.

APA

Green Climate Fund (2023). Adapting Philippine Agriculture to Climate Change (APA). https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp201-gender-assessment.pdf

Chicago

Green Climate Fund. Adapting Philippine Agriculture to Climate Change (APA). 2023. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp201-gender-assessment.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Climate Fund |title=Adapting Philippine Agriculture to Climate Change (APA) |date=16 March 2023 |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp201-gender-assessment.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenclimatefund2023adapting, author = {{Green Climate Fund}}, title = {{Adapting Philippine Agriculture to Climate Change (APA)}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, year = {2023}, month = mar, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp201-gender-assessment.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }