Women, trees and survival

Investigations in Sri Lanka into the use of tree products in homegardens, villages and nearby forests revealed the central role of women in managing and using tree resources - and the important role of tree resources in helping women ensure their family's well-being. Anoja Wickramasinghe reports on findings from the Forestry/Fuelwood Research and Development Project.

Anoja Wickramasinghe

The household environment maintained by women in Sri Lanka directly or indirectly depends on trees. Women manage trees to obtain food, fodder and fuel, as well as medicinal ingredients for treating family ailments, organic residues for enriching the soil, and materials for fencing materials and supporting structures. In conventional assessment of tree production, all products except timber are considered "minor" or "by-products". For women, however, these non-timber products are of top priority because of their contribution to ensuring family survival and well-being.

Agroforestry gardens created by women In densely populated areas, most tree products are derived from man-made rather than from natural forest systems. Trees are widely grown by rural dwellers in fields, homegardens and hedges, and the use values of non-timber products are the selection criteria. Between 60% and 88% of the trees in homegardens are grown and tended by women, who also protect seedlings germinating in the garbage heap and natural seedlings scattered in the farm landscape. From known sources within their own community and within neighbouring communities, the women select the more useful species and better varieties. The diversity and continuation of the homegarden agroforestry systems in Sri Lanka can be largely attributed to the fact that women are actively selecting, tending and managing trees of their priority in the vicinity of their dwellings, while attending to domestic tasks. It is common practice for them to grow a variety of species within a small plot of land. Management practices like coppicing and pruning are used not only to increase biomass but also to create species for new trees, thereby intensifying landuse and increasing the biodiversity.

Women determine use value The women use fruits and nuts directly as food and process the excess for market or for the off-season. In the women's view, the priority need is for food and, therefore, the trees most vital to their survival systems are (Artocarpus heterophyllus), (Cocos nucifera), mango (Mangifera indica), mee ( longifolia), (Tamarindus indicus) and (Artocarpus altilis). But they also extract medicinal and edible oils, gather residues and branches as organic matter and fuel, and harvest leaves to feed household animals. In addition, they value the way trees create shade and coolness, permitting comfortable living. The time- and energy consuming tasks performed by women in harvesting and processing tree products are often crucial in determining the cash returns to a family. In the dry areas, for example, the oil extracted from mee kernels provides women with substantial income. The species which are valued more for providing food are preferably located in the homegarden, whereas the species which provide more fuelwood and fodder are located along hedges and on common land.

Victims of modernisation Maintaining multipurpose species close to the dwelling means that women do not have to expend so much energy and time in gathering forest products. However, with increasing modernisation, commercialisation and felling of trees, not only in the forests but also in the farms, women are being forced to take the drudgery of gathering tree products from distant sources. Above all, fuelwood scarcity is having serious implications for family food consumption and the health status of women and their families. The amount of time rural women spend gathering fuelwood, the sole energy source for their cooking, has increased tremendously over the past five decades - to 18 or more hours per week in areas of severe fuelwood scarcity. As a result, the women have had to cut back on cooking for their families. For example, during the rainy season, when collecting fuelwood is particularly difficult, the women studied had reduced the number of pots cooked by 20-40%. They also do much less parboiling of rice and boiling of water for drinking.

Women at forefront of tree farming With increasing pressure on diminishing resources, it is imperative that the growing of species be promoted. But it must be assessed how intended goals can be achieved in real situations, particularly within small-scale farming systems. As our studies have shown, women are at the forefront of tree farming because of their knowledge, experience and ability. Through their activities, women determine the use value of non-timber products of trees. Women can integrate multipurpose tree species into the small- scale farming system and use the tree products to meet household needs, generate income and increase their family's well-being. These women experts need to be consulted in programmes promoting tree-based systems for sustainable livelihoods.

Anoja Wickramasinghe Dept of Geography University of Peradeniya Sri Lanka