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As International Women’s Day approaches, the call for gender justice has never been more urgent - especially in the fight against climate change and food insecurity. For Professor Nitya Rao, an internationally recognised expert in gender, development, and climate adaptation at UEA’s School of Global Development, these issues are deeply intertwined. Her life’s work has been dedicated to understanding how gender inequality shapes livelihoods, resource access, and resilience in the face of environmental crises.
“I began my career as an activist,” Prof Rao explains. I saw firsthand how environmental degradation and economic precarity disproportionately impacted women, especially in rural communities. Gender justice isn’t just about fairness - it’s about survival and it’s about dignity.”
“I saw firsthand how environmental degradation and economic precarity disproportionately impacted women, especially in rural communities. Gender justice isn’t just about fairness - it’s about survival and it’s about dignity.”
From the early days of volunteering in the Indian Himalayas, exposed to deforestation and sudden floods, to her current role as Director of the Norwich Institute for Sustainable Development, a centre backed by generous donor support, Prof Rao has been at the forefront of research and advocacy. She has spent decades working with marginalised communities across South Asia and Africa, examining how climate variability and economic shifts shape food security and livelihoods. One of her key insights is that climate adaptation strategies must consider the specific needs of women, especially poor women, or those in remote rural locations, whose labour - whether in agriculture, caregiving, or household management - is often invisible but critical.
“In many rural areas, when droughts hit, it’s women who walk miles to fetch water, it’s women who find ways to put food on the table,” she says. “Yet, policy discussions on climate resilience often ignore these realities.”
Prof Rao’s research highlights the gendered impacts of climate change in practical terms. In regions facing extreme drought, women’s workloads increase dramatically as they struggle to access basic necessities. Meanwhile, shifts in agricultural production, often driven by climate stress, can mean that nutritious, locally produced foods are sold rather than consumed, exacerbating malnutrition.
“We talk about food security, but what about time security?” she asks.
“A mother who spends hours fetching water may not have time to prepare nutritious meals for her children. The climate crisis is a human crisis, and gender justice must be at the heart of our response.”
The climate crisis is a human crisis, and gender justice must be at the heart of our response.”
In honour of International Women’s Day 2025, Prof Rao will deliver the upcoming UEA Lasdun Lecture, Accelerating Action Towards Gender Justice for Climate and Food. She will explore in detail how gender dynamics shape the food we produce, access, buy, and eat - affecting everyday life on a global scale. Join us in-person or online for this thought-provoking discussion and discover how UEA climate and development experts are driving progress towards a more just and sustainable future.
UEA Lasdun Lecture Spring 2025
Date: Thursday 13 March 2025, 6.30pm – 7.30pm
Venue: UEA Enterprise Centre
Book tickets here: https://www.alumni.uea.ac.uk/lasdun-lecture-booking-in-person
If you’re inspired by Prof Rao’s work and want to support climate research at UEA, get in touch with our team here.