Climate Change Adaptation: Zimbabwean Women Find Opportunity in Non-Timber Forest Products.

Ahead of the UNFCC Climate Change Conference, Cop 28,  UN Women, the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, reiterated the importance of ensuring that women’s and girls’ rights, abilities and needs are incorporated in climate debates and government policies, citing, “Women and girls have been at the forefront of climate activism and can offer unique knowledge and expertise—including among Indigenous, rural, and young populations—that can support effective climate action.”

As the adverse effects of climate change continue to bedevil the world, women on the African continent face unique gendered impacts of global warming such as food insecurity, poverty, and unequal access to resources. While there is no simple solution, some rural women entrepreneurs are creating economic opportunities through businesses founded on the sustainable use of natural resources such as Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs). NFTPs are any product other than timber that is naturally produced in forests and can be harvested without cutting down trees.