Women’s land rights seen as key to climate fight

Legally and socially recognised rights for women to communal lands can protect them from climate-change effects and investors

By Rina Chandran

BANGKOK, Feb 11 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – From legislative loopholes to cultural norms, women worldwide still face barriers in accessing land, researchers said on Thursday, despite evidence that tenure rights can protect them from the worsening effects of climate change.

Women make up more than half the global population that relies almost exclusively on land and natural resources for a livelihood. Yet worldwide, only 14% of agricultural landowners are women – with an even smaller share in Africa and East Asia.

Even in countries that recognise women’s tenure rights, they often face practical and social barriers such as negative perceptions about…