Climate Change Adaptation, Climatic Hazards and Agricultural Feminisation: Empirical Evidence From the Cambodian Agricultural Survey 2019–2021
Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics
Published online on October 24, 2025
Abstract
["Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nClimate change is causing more frequent and intense climatic hazards worldwide, disrupting agricultural systems by altering temperature and precipitation patterns, as well as extreme weather events, which in turn are reshaping gender roles in rural economies. While the feminisation of agriculture—where women assume greater agricultural responsibilities as men transition to non‐farm work—has been widely observed, less is known about whether this trend also extends to women's involvement in farm‐level decision‐making. This study examines the relationship between climate change adaptation, climatic hazards and the multidimensional feminisation of agriculture in Cambodia. Using three waves of nationally representative data from the Cambodia Agriculture Survey (2019–2021), we analyse women's expanding roles as both unpaid family labourers and hired workers as well as their growing influence in farm management as decision‐makers. Our findings show a significant increase in women's involvement in agriculture in Cambodia both as labourers and decision‐makers. Crop and livelihood diversification are key factors driving this change. All forms of agricultural feminisation are more pronounced in households affected by climate hazards. This suggests a significant correlation between climate change adaptation, environmental stress and the growing feminisation of agriculture in Cambodia.\n"]