0799-C1
Pratima S. Jattan[1]
The approach of involving the local people in the protection and management of forests is commonly referred to as joint forest management (JFM). As women constitute the most important user group collecting forest produce for meeting the family's subsistence needs, sustainable forest management is not possible without their active involvement. But forest policies and forest management practices have remained gender blind and ignored the intimate relation between women and forests. As a result, women's drudgery has increased as the degradation of the forest continued.
This paper uses results based on a study conducted by the author to investigate the role of women in JFM in two widely differing zones, of Haryana, India.
Group discussions form an important part of the participatory planning process for JFM. About 87% of the women respondents did not attend any JFM meeting, 6% attended meetings for part of the time and only 7% sat throughout the meeting. Of those women who attended the meetings, only a little more than half took part in the discussion and the others were silent spectators. The participation of women in group discussions was thus minimal.
Women's participation needs to be improved to ensure the success of the JFM approach. To achieve this objective, awareness among women needs to be increased. Women need to be involved from the very beginning of a JFM programme and constant and sustained dialogue with them should be maintained. It should be ensured that benefits accruing to women from participation are quick and tangible. Gender equity in benefit sharing should also be ensured. The policy provisions regarding women's participation should be clear and mandatory. Female extension workers need to be employed with whom women may talk freely and separate meetings for women may be arranged to get their views.
The role of women in forest resources management is very important. Collection of forest products to meet subsistence requirements and also to augment family's income is generally the responsibility of women. Awareness about trees, shrubs and grasses is higher amongst women than in men because women devote more time than men to collect forest produce to meet family needs. About one-third of poor women are directly involved in forestry or forestry related works in the unorganized sector (Nanavaty, 1996). The women have to spend major part of their time and have to walk long distances daily to collect fuelwood, fodder and other Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) from forests. While men are interested in commercial forestry, women are concerned with biodiversity conservation and multiple products-based management which ensures fuelwood, fodder, water and other NTFPs (Singh, 2001). Women, therefore, remained at forefront in conservation movements like chipko and khejri(Shiva et al, 1986).
The effect of forest degradation is particularly severe on women. Women, therefore, greatly value forest conservation. The Indian national forest policy, 1988 (GOI, 1988), therefore, rightly emphasized the role of women in conservation and sustainable management of forests and recommended greater involvement of women in forestry related activities (Anon, nd).
Forest policies and forest management practices, have, remained gender blind and ignored the intimate relation between women and forests and remained insensitive to gender issues. As a result, the women continued suffering and their drudgery increased as the forest degradation continued. Therefore the forest policy provided for creating a massive people's movement with the involvement of women to meet objectives of the policy. The policy provided that domestic requirements of fuelwood, fodder, minor forest produce and construction timber of the tribals and poor living within or near the forests should be the first charge on forest produce.
The women, as principal collectors of forest produce, suffer the most as a result of forest degradation. Forest degradation results in short supply of fuelwood and fodder and consequently in increased hardship of the rural communities in meeting their subsistence needs. The women have to walk long distances to collect fuelwood and fodder and have to spend several hours per day, neglecting their more important household jobs. The distance covered to collect NTFPs during 1960s and 1980s is reported to be 1.7 and 7.0 km, respectively in Orissa and 1.6 and 4.1 km, respectively in Chhatisgarh (Chambers, et al. 1989). The production of NTFPs is adversely affected by forest degradation, resulting in corresponding reduction of income of women from this source. The potential production of NTFPs is estimated to be about four times of the present production from forests (Chambers et al, 1989). Forest degradation results in loss of job opportunities and out-migration of male members in search of employment. This necessitates women to shoulder the responsibilities of agricultural operations normally handled by men which increases the workload affecting their health.
To Arrest forest degradation and rehabilitation of degraded forests the Government of India issued guidelines on June 1, 1990 regarding joint forest management (JFM) stating, interalia, that JFM programme should be implemented under an arrangement between voluntary agency, the village community (beneficiaries) and the forest department (FD). The JFM approach was adopted to protect and rehabilitate mainly degraded forests and has recently been extended to good forest areas also.
The JFM is the concept based on recognition that forest dependent communities have to be involved in protecting and managing the forest resources, regardless of the fact that ownership may rest with the Government. The starting point of JFM has to be the realization of the need of JFM both by the FD and the local people (Campbell, 1996). JFM process is initiated through a dialogue between the FD and the village community. The process ends with the constitution of a village level organization (VLO) to undertake the work of JFM in partnership with FD.
The JFM approach has undoubtedly helped in rehabilitating and improving the degraded forests. The FD has, therefore, every reason to be satisfied with the result, It needs, however, to be critically examined as to how much have the participating villagers, particularly women benefited from their participation in this programme. Their investment of labour for protection is sizeable, besides sacrifice in foregoing grazing and fuelwood collection from these areas. Improved productivity of JFM forests has made available increased quantities of fuelwood and fodder, benefiting the women a great deal. Closure of JFM forests to grazing and consequent shift to stall-feeding, however, increases the workload of women. The women are further disadvantaged when increased income from dairying as result of stall-feeding is pocketed by men who usually undertake the responsibility of milk sale. Detailed studies are wanting to properly analyse the impact of JFM on women (Saxena, 2000)
It is often argued that women are greatly benefited from collection of NTFPs from JFM areas. The NTFPs are very important for women as is shown by the following facts: i) three times as many women as men are involved in gathering of NTFPs; ii) processing of NTFPs is exclusive to women; iii) twice as many women as men are involved in marketing of NTFPs; iv) sal leaf plate making is mostly done by women; v) women do about 75 percent of the marketing of mushrooms, fruits and mahua flowers; vi) gum collection from Gujarat forests is generally done by women (Tewari and Campbell, 1995; Nanavaty, 1996). The women collect large quantities of NTFPs from forests. In case of only one state, M. P., value of NTFPs primarily collected by women were valued at more than $ 700 million annually (World Watch 1991 quoted from Tewari and Campbell, 1995). The women do not, however, get full benefit from NTFP collection and are exploited by middlemen. In case of sal seed collection in M. P., the collectors get only 19 % of the sale price as against 45 % by government as royalty and 36 % by contractors/middlemen (Chambers et al, 1989). The women collecting gum in Gujarat got only one-third of the market price (Nanavaty, 1996). The wholesale price of NTFPs in West Bengal is several times of the price paid to the collectors (Palit, 1993). Major part of the income from NTFPs thus goes to those who add value through processing and policy interventions to promote establishment of NTFP-based processing units by women can substantially enhance income of women from NTFPs (Shashi Kant, 1996). Special efforts are necessary to help women establish and run NTFP-based enterprises. Such an approach is likely to distribute benefits more equitably within communities and families, as women have a better record of reinvesting incomes into families than men. Not much progress has been made towards enabling women to establish NTFP-based enterprises and a number of problems related to finances, technical know-how and marketing remain to be resolved.
The women participate in JFM activities in various ways and the level of participation in no single activity can suffice. Holistic approach is, therefore, necessary to assess the level of participation of women in JFM. Generally speaking, JFM activities broadly include development of protection and management strategy for JFM areas, field operations, participatory process and decision making, and sharing of usufructs. The development of protection and management strategy is a participatory process. The perceptions and approach of men and women were found to be generally different. While women are interested in the management strategy ensuring increased and sustained availability of NTFPs, the men are generally interested in maximising monetary returns. It is important to analyse as to what extent is the management strategy influenced by women enrolled as members of the VLOS. The results of the study conducted by the author to investigate the role of women in joint forest management in two widely differing zones, viz., Shivaliks and Aravalis, in the state of Haryana, India where 300 women respondents (150 in each region spread over 10 villages) were sampled through multistage sampling are summarised in table 1 (Pratima, 1999).
Table-1 Participation of women in JFM
|
Query |
Response |
|
|
Yes |
No |
|
|
Attended JFM meeting |
13.3 |
86.7 |
|
Participation in discussion |
7.3 |
92.7 |
|
Physical participation of women in forest protection |
3.7 |
96.3 |
Group discussions form an important part of the participatory planning process for JFM. About 87% of the women respondents did not attend any JFM meeting, 6% attended meetings for part of the time and only 7% sat throughout the meeting. Of those women who attended the meetings, only a little more than half took part in the discussion and the others were silent spectators. The participation of women in group discussions was thus minimal. The women were not only kept away from the meetings, but in about two-thirds of the households, their husbands did neither consult them about the matters to be discussed in JFM meetings nor inform them later about the discussions and the decisions taken. The factors responsible for the lack of participation of women in group discussions were: i) women were not informed about meetings; ii) unsuitable time for meetings when women could not be free from household work; iii) social customs restraining women from attending such meetings; iv) women perceived no gain from attending such meetings; majority of the women held the opinion that meetings are mere formality, being held for demonstration to the visiting dignitaries and serving no useful purpose. Majority of the women (about 85%) in both the regions did not participate in any JFM activity, only 12% of them took part in actual implementation of the programme while 3% participated only in activities like demonstration and extension
The participation of women in JFM is constrained by a number of factors. Women participation is greatly handicapped in view of social customs. In a male dominated society as in the study area, the women follow parda system and do not mix with males. They are very shy of attending any meeting and if present in a meeting, they huddle together in one corner and very seldom participate in the discussions. Generally, the men respond when questions are directed even specifically to the women. At times, women are not even informed by male members about the meetings to be held for decision-making or for PRA exercises. As JFM programme is still young, most of the women are not yet convinced about the likely benefits from JFM and, consequently, they do not take adequate interest in JFM activities. The women from elite households who may venture to participate in JFM discussions do not normally represent the interests of women from poor households.
Women participation needs to be improved to ensure success of JFM approach. To achieve this objective, awareness among women needs to be increased. Women need to be involved from the very beginning of JFM programme and constant and sustained dialogue with them should be maintained. The need for their participation and benefits accruing to them from JFM need to be properly explained to women to create their interest in the programme. It should be ensured that benefits accruing to women from participation are quick and tangible. Gender equity in benefit sharing should also be ensured. The policy provisions regarding women participation should be clear and mandatory. The existing provisions leave much scope for discrimination against women. Special care is necessary to provide proper extension support to motivate women and also their husbands for their active participation in JFM. Female extension workers need to be employed with whom women may talk freely. Because of the hesitation on the part of women to actively participate in meetings in the presence of men, separate meetings for women may be arranged to get their views. Formation of all women societies need trial in view of encouraging results of such societies at some places. Social changes are necessary to empower women so that they may assert for their rights equal to men in all matters.
Anonymous. Nd. Report of the Advisory Committee to Promote the Involvement of Women in the Forestry Sector. GOI, Ministry of Environment and Forests, New Delhi. 44p. Campbell, J. Y. 1996. Community forestry in India and Nepal. The Ford Foundation, New Delhi. 14 pp.
Chambers, Robert, Saxena, N. C. and Shah, Tushar. 1989. To The Hands Of The Poor: Water and Trees. Oxford & IBH Publishing Co., New Delhi. p 273.
GOI (Government of India). 1988. National Forest Policy, 1988. GOI, Ministry of Environment and Forests, New Delhi. 13 pp.
Nanavaty, Reena. 1996. Feminise our forests. Consultation World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development, New Delhi. Feb., 1996. SEWA, Ahmedabad. 9 pp.
Palit, S. 1993. The future of Indian forest management: Into the twenty first century. JFM Working Paper No. 15. The Ford Foundation, New Delhi. 28 pp.
Pratima. 1999. Role of women in joint forest management. Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun. 140 pp.
Saxena, N. C. 2000. Research issues in forestry in India. Indian J. Agric. Economics. July-Oct., 2000: 1-24.
Shashi Kant. 1996. Joint forest management: Some economic issues. Ford Foundation, New Delhi. 48 p.
Shiva, Vandana and Bandyopadhyaya, J. 1986. The evolution, structure, and impact of the chipko movement. Mountain research and development 6(2):133-142.
Singh, R. V. 2001. Contribution of participatory forest management in the livelihoods of rural communities in India. Forest Trees and Livelihoods Vol. 11:159-166.
Tewari, D. D. and Campbell, J. Y. 1995. Developing and sustaining non-timber forest products: Some policy issues and concerns with special reference to India. Jour. Sustainable Forestry 3(1):53-78.
Email: [email protected]
|
[1] Natural Resources
Management Group, 176/I, Vasant Vihar, Dehradun, India 248006. |