WOMEN’S ROLE IN COMMUNITY FOREST MANAGEMENT(A Case study of Jongang Dada community Forest User Group, ChilimeVDC, Rasuwa District, Nepal).

Abstract

This study entitled “WOMEN’S ROLE IN COMMUNITY FOREST MANAGEMENT ACase Study of Jongang Danda Community Forest User Group, Chilime VDC,Rasuwa, Nepal" was based on primary data collected in November, 2008. Themain objective of the study is to focus on women’s role in community forest usergroup management and their social and economic change after FUG formationThe specific objective of the study are to find out socio-economic condition of thewomen members of FUG, to assess the level of women participation, decisionmonitoring, evaluation and benefit sharing in the forest management, to find outinterrelationship and interaction between their family members and women andto explore the perception of local peopletowards the women’s role in communityforest management and problems. For the purpose of the study, the researcher had applied both exploratory anddescriptive research design. The sources of data were both primary and secondaryand the nature of data was both qualitative and quantitative. There are alltogether 29 households in the community forest user group. Out of them, all 29households were selected for the study purpose. Census methodology was appliedto complete the study. All necessary data were collected through householdsurvey, structured and semi structured interview with female representatives andkey informants. Beside this, focus group discussion and participant observationtechnique were applied to find out different activities being carried out by thecommunity forest user group in their daily life. The study has revealed that the involvement of women in Community ForestManagement is higher than men’s in only forest product collection activities butnot in planning and decision making activities Because of social structureconservative traditionalism in community, lack of confidence in women due topoor education, lack of organizational support and obligatory rules and regulationare the main hindering factors to perform more active women’s role incommunity forest management. Along with the study has exposed that theinvolvement of women in Community Forest Management is limited. Executivecommittee are shown inclusive formally with the female participation like asNepali proverb “Hatti ko dekhaune dat jasto” But neither female ExecutiveCommittee members take part in decision making, monitoring, evaluation andbenefit sharing process. Because of main root causes male dominated societyTherefore, first of all male CFUG member must besensitized about women’s roleand importance of involving them in women related programs. The male andfemale both must come out themselves from their orthodoxies thinking, moretraining should be conducted to make active to all users for higher participation.In overall, this CF was found in average forest but some major changes should bemade to improve women's participation in Community forestry management anddevelopment. Likewise CFUG should make obligatory rules for women toparticipate in forest management activities including in meeting. Frequentawareness program should be organized to strengthen women’s role in forest 5 management, which could prepare them mentally to participate in forestmanagement activities Training for women e.g. leadership, forest management,community development, institutional development, gender sensitivity,enterprise development, account keeping , forestry related legal training andexposure visit of related field should be organized and intensive follow-up shouldbe done,Village women have heavier work load. So, they should be provided newtechnologies like improved cook stoves, grain mills etc which save their time andmade sufficient for them in social participation. Resource conservation awarenessclasses should be conducted for male, female and school children of communitybeing focused on creating opportunities from community forest by conservation,preservation and proper utilization of forest resources with proper participationof male and female for sustainable development are major recommendationsmade by the research here.