Fighting Change: Women, Gender and Climate Change amidst conflict.

When wood is burnt in low oxygen conditions it produces charcoal. The high demanded, available and affordable source of fuel. This is a consequence of the large-scale deforestation that results from obtaining the wood and the high levels of carbon emissions produced when this wood is burnt. This environmental degradation has contributed to the climate crisis Borno State and other northeast states are going through amidst the crisis. Today, forests are lost, mainly for charcoal production. In fact, the UN reports that Africa is losing forests twice as fast as any other continent.

In Borno state and other Northern states, cultural traditions make women responsible for gathering firewood for cooking fuel even when it involves long hours performing heavy physical labor or traveling longer distances which exposes them to risk of abduction, GBV, and other risks. Cutting down trees for fuel has today affected most communities, especially in desert encroachment thereby affecting the soil fertility for farming.

After an interactive session with the Gongulong women farmers group, a group of women farmers on the European Development Fund (EDF) under the EU Support to Response, Recovery, and Resilience in Borno State. The group confirmed that after harvesting their farm produce, all farm waste is left in the farm or burning it while clearing the farm. Environmental issues like climate change and waste disposal continue to affect the communities.

As a climate action, BOWDI introduced local biomass briquette production using farm waste for women farmers. The women were enlightened on how to use agricultural waste for briquette production using locally available items. This will reduce the dependency on trees as a source of cooking energy thereby making it easy for preventing forest degradation in the long term. As biomass briquette burns more cleanly unlike the burning of wood which contributes to health risks and unsustainable forest management. This addresses issues around climate change, gender, and other risk associated with climate change.

The fight against climate crisis is a fight for all. BOWDI gives technical support to Rural Women Farmers Groups in communities to work on their environments. More actions need to be taken in addressing the climate crisis.