Gender and desertification: expanding roles for women to restore drylands

This review examines the impact of desertification on women, their role in the management of natural resources and drylands, and the constraints they face. It presents project experience in addressing women as natural resource users and managers in dryland areas, highlights some of the approaches used to reach women more effectively, and provides recommendations for expanding women’s roles in order to restore dryland areas.In many dryland areas, women’s traditional roles and knowledge in natural resource management and food security are crucial. They are severely affected when erosion and diminished soil fertility result in decreased crop and livestock productivity and lessen the sources of income derived from these products. Despite their roles and extensive knowledge, women often face constraints in caring for their families and for the lands on which they depend. These include increased workloads and responsibilities, decreased access to already limited productive assets (such as land, water and livestock) , and a lack of ownership and decision-making over land and livestock. The latter has remained predominantly the domain of men- women are often excluded from participation in development projects, extension work, and policy processes. Based on experience from multiple projects, the authors conclude that strategic actions for the future must include:strengthening rural poor women’s organisationscapacity-building to create enabling environmentsapplying a gender approach, while promoting the role of women.Beyond these three general conclusions, the authors provide a set of specific recommendations. Selected examples are given below:<B>Development agencies should:</B>improve women’s social status throughadequate financial and technical supportundertake portfolio reviews of activities related to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) objectives in order toenable greater mainstreaming of gender and UNCCD objectivesstrengthen capacities through affirmative action and trainingform regional or country review teams on gender and dryland management involving women leaders<B>Programmes should:conduct a gender analysis for project design, policy reforms and country capacity-strengthening using appropriate diagnostic toolsreduce women’s workloads to enable them to find time to diversify into other activitiesimprove women’s access to and controlover land and water, technological inputs, extension services, information and creditensure that land-use planning takes into consideration gender rolesincrease women’s leadership capacities,economic power and confidence by improving their abilities in self-management, management ofgroups,and by strengthening entrepreneurial capacityincrease women’s involvement in policiesand programmes in order to improve land use through participation in public decision-makingensure that legal frameworks for environmental conservation and the related organisational structures clearly provide for women’s representation.