CARIMAC Times 2016: The JREAM Edition Journalists Reviving Awareness of what Matters | Page 162

Photo by Varun Baker

of unique realities. Men and women who live
in rural areas and are dependent on natural
resources for survival also tend to be most
vulnerable to the various natural disasters that
beset the island.
But the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) found that women are generally more
vulnerable as they have less access to resources,
less mobility and are generally absent from
decision-making processes, excepting in the
household.
The most recent Economic and Social Survey
shows that single mothers head 46.4 per cent
of Jamaican households and 53 per cent have

no male presence. It means there are many
communities that depend on the resourcefulness
of women and their failure to provide negatively
affects their dependents.
However, as a male farmer, Douglas is also the
head of his household, which is dependent on
the money he earns. The amount of money
earned is dependent on the size of the yield.
Douglas’s major challenge is, therefore, with
regard to ensuring that he has enough crops to
deliver to those who depend him for farm-grown
food items - including owners of restaurants.
But they are not the only ones who struggle
with the woes of climate change.

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