Women Participation in Community Forest Management [A Case Study of Hangdewa VDC in Taplejung]

Abstract

Community forestry was introduced in Nepal in 1978. The CommunityForestry approach has been highly successful for protection of forests in thehills of Nepal. The local user groups/ communities are responsible for thecontrol, protection and management of the forests. Community forestryadvocates strong community participation, bottom up planning andsustainable use of forest resources under this program, one million-hectaresof forest land have been handed over to the community, up to 12.000 usersgroups, representing 1.4 million households in March 2003. Women are alsothe active users and members of most of the community forests. There areabout 560 women user groups. Thus, women are providing an important rolein sustainable development of community forests. However, their role isneither properly identified nor explored. This paper explores and analyzeswomen's role in community forestry for its sustainable development. It alsohighlights the constraints on maximum female participation in communityforestry and focuses on possible ways for solving the problems faced bywomen in community forestry. In order to open women's introvert nature, explore their attitude andambitions, utilize women's knowledge and skills, address the obstacles andmaximize the women's participation in CF management, equal efforts areexpected from all stakeholders. Recommendations related to constitutionreformation, policy, regularly and strategy are provided to pury makingbodies. Implementation based recommendation such as involving women asEC member in adequate proportion even in major part folios, womenmobilization in OP preparation and its periodic review, and disseminatingCF related information amongwomen etc. are targeted to CFUG. Liberatesensitization, dissemination and people's mobilization relatedrecommendations are assigned to GO/NGOs. People's participation especially the women's participation has beenrecognized as an important aspect of community forest management anddevelopment for the last decade. Women's participation is expected in alldimensions such as planning and decision-making, implementation,monitoring and evaluation, and benefit sharing aspects. In this content thisstudy was conducts in the community forest user group ofHangdewaVDC ofTaplejung district with the aim of assessing women's participation incommunity forest management. The study is descriptive in nature that includes survey and fact-findinginquiries on selected issues. In order to meet quantitative and qualitative requirements, both primary and secondary source of data were used in thestudy, conducting household survey, focus group discussions; key informantinterview and observation methods were used to collect primary data.Likewise, published and unpublished documents were reviewed to secondaryinfunction. The status of women's participation in implementation process washigh while the rate of participation in decision-making procession was low.Participationof ordinary women in maintaining and evaluation process andparticipation in general assemblies was not found satisfactory. Usually,social activities conducted by CFUG were found to have benefited equally toboth sexes. Women member of the CFUG had not got opportunity toparticipate in training and study tours. Te CFUG was mobilized more physical participation of women incommunity forest management. Despite some personal, family, social andpolicy level constraints, women were involved in CF management due tosynergetic effects of self-inspiration and daily requirements of then firstproducts.