Women in community forestry: A field guide for project design and implementation

Rural women are major caretakers and users of forests. Each day they walk long distances to gather fodder and fuelwood. They seek out fruits, nuts and small creatures for food for their families. They use bark, roots and herbs for medicines. Trees provide shade, beauty and environmental protection for their homes. Thus, trees and forests play a major role in their daily lives. Unfortunately, most forestry programmes are organized by men who may not understand women's relationship to forests. Forestry has typically been a man's profession and it is hard for many foresters to perceive of women as being competent in this field. Moreover women's needs regarding the forest often differ from those of men. Rural women confront obstacles that limit their ability to participate in community development programmes. They frequently lack the self-confidence or a forum in which to speak up publicly for themselves and for their families. They often lack access to child care, credit, education and land tenure, which limits them more than it limits the men of their own families. These obstacles prevent them from being heard and from achieving a more powerful role in accessing and making decisions about tree and forest resource management. This field guide focuses on practical ways to include women in project design and implementation and is meant to be a tool to facilitate discussion, offer options and promote action on behalf of women and forestry. (author)