Role and Participation of Women in Community Forest Management (A Case Study of Dharapani Women Community Forest, Bharatpokhari VDC, Kaski, Nepal)

Abstract

Forest plays an important role in our daily life. It is one of the country's most important national resources. Nepalese economy is based on agriculture and livestock farming. Community forestry was introduced in Nepal in 1978. The community forestry approach has been highly successful in the protection of forest in the Hills of Nepal. Women are playing an important role in sustainable development of community forests. However, their role is neither properly identified nor explored. So, the study focuses to the women's role and participation in community forest management. The general objective of the study is to trace the status of women of Dharapani Women managed Community Forest. This study explores some lessons and challenges related to participation, eco-feminism of forest and effect of patriarchal society whether; the Community Forest fully managed by women.

Women in Nepal are generally subordinate to men in virtually every aspect of life. Nepal is a rigidly patriarchal society. The economic contribution of women is substantial, but largely unnoticed because their traditional role was taken for granted. Women in Nepal hold the triple work responsibility of reproduction, household chores and employment. Women occupy half the total population of Nepal. Status of women among the SAARC countries shows that female numbers outpaces male in Nepal. Nevertheless there exist economical as well as social discriminations between men and women. Women works longer hours then man have much lower opportunity to gain full employment and possess extremely limited property rights.

During the study, primary and secondary data were collected by using both quantitative (applied Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools) and qualitative methods (used questionnaires). For the study, total 64 households (100%) were interviewed. The data of the study has been analyzed using both quantitative and descriptive methods.

This study deduced the social and cultural veracity of rural societies and their relationships with forest and managing forest by community as a holistic strategy. Community forest resources are more complex and entangled in a society where there is a prime role of women on the protection and utilization. In the studied area women had given chance on document but not on the reality for making self decision.

Some elite men are still dominating women on choosing Executive Committee (EC) member, decision making in meetings and assemblies. As well as poor and dalit people have still dominated by Brahmin/Chhetris, because key positions are lead by elite household till now. Women are trying to manage spare time for the well management of forest as well as betterment of their family and for their own personality development. Managing time from household works, women are utilizing their leisure time for seasonal and off seasonal vegetable farming, children care and in social and self-development works.

Conflicts among user held on hierarchical and patron-client social relation, incompatibility of formal laws, conflicts of interest, protection and belief, with bad governance of Community Forest (CF). Majority of user are in materialistic participation, and low in realization of problem, drafting OP and constitution, which is self motivation, as well as monitoring and evaluation is also in low position. People are managing forest well but not showing eco-feminism. The users however are satisfied with the work carried out by forest user committee and community forest program.