ANNOUNCEMENTS
This study investigates the relationship between gender wage disparities and climate change in India’s agricultural sector. It assesses how climate variability- particularly fluctuations in temperature and precipitation- affects the wages of male and female agricultural laborers and examines the moderating role of fertilizer use. Using district-level panel data from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) covering 561 districts from 1990 to 2015, the study employs a robust empirical approach. Climate variability and fertilizer use serve as key independent variables, while male and female agricultural wages are the dependent outcomes. Climate variables are categorized into very hot to very cold and very dry to very wet regions based on temperature and rain- fall anomalies, respectively. The analysis reveals that there is a disproportionate impact of climate anomalies on male and female wages. Fertilizer use emerges as a moderating factor, mitigating the adverse effects of climate variability on earnings, particularly in districts with high climate exposure. Beyond highlighting these challenges, the study aims to offer policy recommendations for gender-sensitive climate adaptation strategies in agriculture.
Key words: Climate change, gender wage disparity, temperature and rainfall anomalies, fertilizer use.
