“During the sensitization program earlier this week it was disclosed that trends show that women are far less able to adapt or recover from climate change-induced disasters.”
The local office of the Inter- American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) has collaborated with the Ministry of Agriculture and the United Nations Development Project (UNDP) to introduce an online program on climate change and its impact on gender, to the curriculum of the Guyana School of Agriculture.
The training is part of the United Nations project named, Enabling Gender Responsive Disaster Recovery, Climate and Environmental Resilience in the Caribbean (EnGenDER),
Mr. Wilmot Garnett IICA representative in Guyana disclosed “Focusing on gender in climate related agricultural matters, it introduces the situation of gender inequality and vulnerability of women and men in agriculture as well as barriers to women’s empowerment and participation in contributing to the agriculture sector.”
He added that the self- paced online program builds the capacity of GSA students to understand how women can be empowered to contribute to the sustainable development of a resilient food supply system in adverse climate conditions.
The IICA program for GSA also includes training in gender concepts, gender planning and budgeting, gender sensitive communication as well as a special focus on gender in climate adaptation and mitigation; also vulnerability concepts and climate smart agriculture.
Mr Garnett said that it has been agreed that the course is to be taken as a foundation course for all GSA students current and future and they will be issued with certificates on completion.
Mr Garnett noted that many of the students of the GSA are eventually employed within the agricultural sector and therefore institutionalization of the course allows for continuous education on the importance of climate change on gender and agriculture.
During the sensitization program earlier this week it was disclosed that trends show that women are far less able to adapt or recover from climate change-induced disasters.
It was disclosed that the EnGenDER initiative is one step towards putting women and young people at the center of climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction strategies.
On Wednesday last part of the sensitization program included the handing over of twenty three laptop computers to the GSA which will allow the students to receive their online training and to communicate with gender experts locally and internationally including those based at the IICA Headquarters in Costa Rica.
Speaking on behalf of Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Delma Nedd praised the objectives of the project and also noted that the government is pursuing several projects that are geared towards women empowerment including the Agriculture and Innovation Entrepreneurship Program, with 300 plus shade houses established across the country.
The Enabling Gender-Responsive Disaster Recovery, Climate and Environmental Resilience in the Caribbean (EnGenDER) project is funded by Global Affairs Canada and the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, which is led by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Mr. Adam Loyer of Global Affairs Canada and Head of Cooperation for Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago was among those who made appreciative remarks .
UK High Commissioner to Guyana, Jane Miller, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Guyana, Yeşim Oruç and other officials also delivered brief remarks at the sensitization event.
Other stakeholders present included Staff and students of the GSA, representatives of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry of the University of Guyana , Staff of the Department of Environment & Climate Change of office of the President (OP) and representatives of several Ministry of Agriculture agencies.
IICA resource persons at the sensitization session included Sustainable Rural Development Specialist Mr. Arnold DeMendonca and Climate Change Specialist Mr. Forrest Smartt
