Gender, Conflict and Climate change: Dissecting Gendered Vulnerabilities of small holder farmers due to climate change in the Eastern Province Sri Lanka

Abstract

Batticaloa district, which is situated in the Eastern coast of Sri Lanka is identified as one of the most climate vulnerable districts in Sri Lanka and one of the districts which were directly affected by the Sri Lankan armed conflict of 30 years. Agriculture being the main source of income generation in the district, increasing climate vulnerabilities such as droughts and frequent flooding make the livelihoods of small holder farmers uncertain and making them vulnerable to poverty. It is also imperative consider the alarming rate of irregular migration in the Eastern Province and the trend of farmers leaving their land behind in search of a stable employment both within and outside of the country. Furthermore, the impacts of the adverse methods to control COVID-19 and the ongoing economic crisis exacerbated the challenges faced by farmers of Batticaloa. As United Nations Sri Lanka along with World Food Programme identifies women and migrants as one of the most vulnerable groups for the ongoing economic crisis of Sri Lanka, women farmers in Batticaloa face multifaceted vulnerabilities than their male counter parts. This study proposes to analyze the gendered vulnerabilities of women small holder farmers in Batticaloa district in a post conflict climate change nexus, identify the social, structural and policy level restrictions women farmers have to face on a daily basis as and to come up with recommendations which can help them to mitigate their challenges.