Gender and the Natural Resources – Experiences and Achievements of AKRSP(I) in Gujarat 55
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Gender and the Natural Resources – Experiences and Achievements of AKRSP(I) in Gujarat 55 Table of Contents Foreword iii Preface and acknowledgements v Abbreviations vii Glossary viii A. Executive Summary 1 B. Detailed Report 2 1. AKRSP(I) in India – an Introduction 2 1.1 Organisational goals and key strategies 2 1.2 The geographical areas 3 2. AKRSP(I)’s programmes and thrust areas 5 2.1 The nature programmes in brief 5 2.2 The ‘people’ programmes 5 2.3 Women focus and gender 6 3. The Study 12 3.1 Rationale and need for the study 12 3.2 Methodology 14 3.3 Some problems faced 14 4. Gender and NR – learning through case studies 15 4.1 Problem analysis 15 4.2 The quest for drinking water 17 4.3 Who tills these lands?: gender issues in agricultural 23 intensification and drought management 4.4 Greening the landscape – gender in forest 35 protection and regeneration 4.5 Micro-enterprise in natural resources 37 5. Narrowing the gender gap: major emergent trends and lessons 40 6. Conclusion 42 Annexes 45 Gender and the Natural Resources – Experiences and Achievements of AKRSP(I) in Gujarat 47 Foreword NGOs who work directly with rural communities often find it difficult to find an appropriate balance between the ‘joy of doing’ versus the need to reflect, document and disseminate ‘what has been done’. Field staff finds it difficult to find time for documenting and analysing with the result that the processes followed and lessons learnt are shared only when they interact directly with the staff or the communi- ties. Since in a large, multi-lingual society this is difficult, ‘sharing of learning’ is more by accident than by design. For AKRSP(I), the lessons from its gradual evolution towards a gender-sensitive organisation and merging natural resource management interventions with a gender and development approach have been excit- ing. Through case studies the study captures the impact as well as the process followed in the various gender-empowerment strategies adopted by AKRSP(I). Some of the major impacts are: • On woman as an individual… Increased self-confidence and courage was clearly visible among women, which resulted in many women leaders with better mobility and visibility in their villages. Women had better access to services like health and education, government schemes/services/offices, trainings and new technologies, credit and agriculture inputs/decisions. However, the main impact was the increased access to and control over natural resources. • Changes in man-woman relationship at the household level… Changes were observed in the traditional outlook towards women and division of labour at the house- hold level. Household relations improved with women taking their own decisions and influencing de- cisions at the household level. • Changes in man-woman relationship at the village level… There is a clear indication of reduced social constraints in the village. Changes in outlook towards mo- bility and capability of women were visible. There were many cases of improved social status and changes in decision-making patterns at the village level, both formally and informally. These achievements were, however, not the result of this year’s efforts alone, but of a whole series of processes like women’s day celebrations, involvement of women in trainings and exposure visits, regu- lar meetings of mahila manchs and mahila vikas mandals over the years. As these approaches continue, the time has now come to reap the benefits of earlier efforts. Geeta Menon, the well-known gender specialist, has helped document and analyse our work. Geeta, who is an anthropologist by training, has a large body of research to her credit and we have been fortunate that she has spared so much time to interact intensively with the field staff and communities throughout Gujarat. We hope you find this useful. Apoorva Oza (CEO, AKRSP(I)) Gender and the Natural Resources – Experiences and Achievements of AKRSP(I) in Gujarat 49 Preface and acknowledgement This study has been a learning experience for the author. I hope it will be so too for those who read and use it. First and foremost I thank AKRSP(I) for giving me the opportunity to do this study which has been an interesting experience in all And the villagers I met who were more than warm and welcoming They spared time and more with me, especially during the work-intensive harvesting period. My thanks also to Dharmistha Chauhan who was with me for the major part of this experience and shared a lot about the programme with me. And Kirti Patel (Sayla SHT) who did the same in Surendranagar. Thanks to all those who accompanied me to the villages, particularly Harji, Bahadur, Mahendra, Suresh, Narayan and Rekha. Their discussions and inputs were very useful for this study. And all those who discussed various issues concerning gender, both personal and professional. My thanks to all for making my stay and visits comfortable and enjoyable. Geeta Menon Gender and the Natural Resources – Experiences and Achievements of AKRSP(I) in Gujarat 51 Abbreviations AKF Aga Khan Foundation AKRSP (I) Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India) DA Development Associate GAD Gender And Development GVM Gram Vikas Mandal HRD Human Resource Development MM Mahila Manch MVM Mahila Vikas Mandal NGO Non-Government Organisation NR Natural Resources NRM Natural Resource Management PRA Participatory Rural Appraisal RRWHS Roof Rain Water Harvesting Structure SCALE Sustainable Community based Approaches to Livelihood Enhancement SHG Self-Help Group SHT Spear Head Team WID Women In Development WSG Water Shed Group Gender and the Natural Resources – Experiences and Achievements of AKRSP(I) in Gujarat 53 Glossary Adivasi Tribe/tribal, scheduled tribe Awal Bark of tree used as dyeing agent Bajra Millet Bigha Unit of land measurement. (Approximately 0.5 acres in Gujarat) Bhindi Okra Chana Bengal gram District Unit of administration below State Gram panchayat/panchayat Governance unit at village level Gram Vikas Mandal Village Development Council Jawar Barley Taluka Unit of administration below District Rabaari and Bharwad Kolis, Caste and sub-caste names Maldharis, Darbar, Harijan, Vaghri Dalit Untouchables, downtrodden, scheduled castes Lakh/lacs 100,000 Mahila Vikas Mandal Women Development Council Mahila manch Women’s platform. In AKRSP several Mahila Vikas Mandal are represented in a Mahila Manch Moong Green gram Rabi Winter crop Shringaar Beauty, beautification Tuwar A type of lentil Roti Wheatbread made of unfermented dough, local staple food. Til Gingelly seeds Virda Shallow well in river bed Wada Homestead land Wado Cattle trench for water 54 Gender and the Natural Resources – Experiences and Achievements of AKRSP(I) in Gujarat A. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This document that puts together the findings of the study, begins with a description of AKRSP(I)’s AKRSP(I), working on natural resource general focus and thrust areas. It goes on to narrate management in Gujarat for more than two decades its ‘gender experiments’ and commitments. The now, is known as an organisation with a main section of this document consists of case commitment to the participatory approach in studies, organised into different subjects: drinking natural resource management. Its prime strategy water, agriculture, joint forest management, and in this is to empower the people to change their micro-enterprise development. Analytical lot through improving the condition of the narratives in each section bring out the focal resources on which they depend for their survival. achievements or changes that have come about To AKRSP(I) this is something that is non- through the project in question. Case studies put negotiable. these in bold relief. Yet, working with a woman focus is something While the cases show that the projects have in relatively new to AKRSP(I). The focus on Women general led to increase in production, better in Development began in the mid-90s and nutrition and more personal possessions, women’s strengthened with the adoption of the Gender And workload in agriculture has increased multi-fold. Development (GAD) ideology. Though the policy Simultaneously however, their drudgery in on gender is fairly clear, the organisation has not collecting water and fuel has reduced. The social followed a uniform strategy in gender environment in the village and household has mainstreaming. It has allowed strategies to evolve improved, with less conflicts and more in its areas of operation, based on the local cooperation being visible. Undoubtedly, the most situation, local developments, local needs as well important achievement is the tremendous increase as the strengths of it local staff. Hence a variety of in women’s visibility and status within the ‘experiments’ in gender mainstreaming has household and community, which has in turn defined the implementation of its gender influenced their decision-making ability on NR as commitments, at the same time re-defining and well as social matters. They have run against heavy strengthening these commitments along the way. odds and yet finished first in the race. There is some documentation of this process and Corresponding change in men are visible too – some specific studies on the achievements and they accept the idea of women’s leadership and learnings in gender mainstreaming in different support women’s role in NR management. Gender projects. But a consolidated document on this is relations and roles have changed for the better. lacking. The study, however, broadly points to the need for greater focus on this area through more This study was thought of to fill this lacuna. The intensive analysis of the gender goals and study uses case studies on various AKRSP(I) purposes of interventions and of AKRSP(I). projects in different areas of operation to capture the ‘gender in NR experience’ in a comprehensive manner. The case studies were gathered during specially organised trips to the three areas.