Role of gender and micro finance in higher education curriculum of natural resources and forestry management in India

Gender issues and inequality are two of the present global concerns. Knowledge creation, retailing, and trading on genders are vivid tools for addressing gender issues especially in the areas of natural resources and forestry. The most effective way of disseminating knowledge on gender is through incorporation of gender aspects into the curriculum of higher education. In India there are three major types of higher educational institutions. These are; 1) universities [e.g. Indian Council for Forestry Educational Research, Agricultural Universities] 2) institutions [e.g. Indian Institute of Forest Management] and 3) Colleges affiliated to universities. Illiteracy, lack of accessibility to income generating activities and infrastructure, etc., are factors responsible for gender inequality. Research studies reports; in India 100 million people live in and around forest land. All mainly depend on forest for sourcing their needs. Over 80% of forest dwellers depend in NTFP [non timber forest product] and about 28% to 50% of income for survival comes from NTFP harvest and trade; this represents only 20% of the total price spread in NTFP trade as trade is done with very little value addition of community level. Lack of microfinancial assistance, ineffective public administration, hinders value additions. NTFP trade is seasonal, people need to borrow money from moneylenders at high interest ranging from 3% to 5% per month. High interests, lack of value addition, etc., are contributing to poverty of this distressed groups. Interventions like women, based on microfinance is, strategies recently adopted for reducing gender inequality and socioeconomic improvement of women. Emergence of gender support and microfinance in higher educational institutions curriculum is an innovative strategic option to reduce gender inequality and empower women. Studies indicate that as much as 38% of the rural microcredit requirement met were from women SHG. Gender inequality is a multidimensional problem requiring involvement of government, NGOs, private sector, elite society, international developmental agencies, and women themselves. The problem should be addressed holistically involving all stakeholders' participation in the development and implementation of the strategy. There is evidence that participation of women in micro-planning is a workable strategy as proved in case of Joint Forest Management (JFM) which addressed the dual issue of protecting forest and empowering women by providing income generating options to women. In the Government of AP programme, JANMA BOOMI, an active participation of women was through offering voluntary labour during lean season, in constructing public amenities was found to be equally successful for reducing gender inequality. On the other hand programs like IRDP which was financially supported and unilaterally implemented by government agencies without women participation and empowerment saw limited achievements. Intervention of public administration in addressing gender inequality issue need to be implemented with cooperation from NGOs, who are catalysts in educating women on the importance of NTFP, facilitate value addition and marketing the value added products, help in forming women SHGs, and empowering women eventually resulted in increasing income generating activities and level of income, improved amenities and reduced gender inequality. This paper aimed to: a)study the level of incorporation of gender aspects and microfinance in higher educational institutions, b) augment innovative strategies for reduce gender inequality; and empowers women to attain sustainable natural resources and forestry management; b) find out the status of women empowerment; and c) suggest measures for effective implementation of gender aspects in the curriculum of higher educational institutions in India.