Women’S Role in Forestry Development

Women’s Role in Forestry Development

Khilendra Basnyat

Forests are important for the survival of humanity. They provide shelter, protect agriculture, influence local climatic extremes and help preserve the fertility and the structure of the soil preventing in its erosion. They also ensure clean and sustained water supply and help reduce both atmospheric and noise pollution. Apart from this, they provide fodder and fruits.

Since forests are essential components of landscapes they are becoming increasingly important in terms of recreational values. What is more, it the forests resources of a country are developed well, they can be one of the main contributors to the economy of the country.

Despite several advantages of forests, deforestation continues and may continue for many years to come in our country unless concrete steps are taken on a large scale. In the past decade alone, a quarter of the forest has been destroyed and if the present trend persists, there will be very little vegetation cover left by the end of the century. The existing situation demands us to bring about development in this sector.

Due to the loss of trees and ground cover, there has been a change in the productivity of the land reduction of plant material leading to soil infertility, deforestation of vulnerable land areas and their gradual destabilization. Diminishing fertile land has forced many farmers to cultivate in fragile and marginal lands bringing about a vicious circle because such lands have been found less stable and prone to erosion.

Agriculture and forest productions are dwindling while the population growth rate is galloping. It has been observed that the pressure on the land is greatest in those areas which are now least capable of sustaining it

Increasing deforestation has affected everyone who depends on the land for any livelihood. For rural women, deforestation has caused a waste of more time and energy than what used to be spent beyond household chores and other works as they have to gather forest products. Due to their daily involvement with resource collection and use, rural women are found to be more aware of any reduction in the quality or quantity of their supplies. They are also found interested in the implications of declining resources for themselves, their families and communities. Therefore, they are undoubtedly, a potentially receptive target group for the commencement of any forestry program.

In practice, Forest Department’s control was not fruitful for effective forest management or protection. Realizing the problem, community forest legislation was enacted in 1978. But studies have revealed that technical expertise and financial assistance alone can not solve the problem. It has been increasingly recognized that members of targeted communities should be actively engaged in checking further destruction of forests.

Since the past few years, community forestry programs have been launched in various parts of the country. However, no community forestry program can be successful without utilizing the energy of the concerned people. In each community the people actually involved in forest-related activities have the power to contribute to and cooperate with or resist program. The people with that power are the women who go to forests to gather wood.

Time and job allocations studies conducted in our country have shown that women are largely responsible for fuel and fodder collection. More time is spent by women on expanded economic activities including food processing, fetching water and fuel collection.

For the past few decades, the government has been implementing various programs with the assistance of foreign donor agencies for combating deforestation. However, the deteriorating condition of forest has not been improved. Blame has been laid on spiraling population growth, slash and burn agriculture, low peoples participation in plant protection and frequent change of government policies.

No doubt, these factors contribute a lot to forest degradation. But one more fact is worth mentioning here. Until now no forestry program, plan or policy has specifically included women- which are a gross oversight especially while pondering over the fact that women not only constitute half of the total population but are also responsible for procuring firewood and fodder products from the forests.

Rural women in many parts of our country use traditional methods of harvesting forest products. This select and cut method is very simple and needs no technical knowledge. It is a technique that developed when forests were thick and plentiful. Rural women know no other method and do not see any reason to change. They know how a tree grows and to what purposes it can be put to but they do not see that their lopping method prevents re-growth. Most damage is done when they collect firewood. Felled trees are split into manageable pieces in forests, which are then carried to villages.

Illiteracy has practically hindered women from participating in forest resource development projects. For this reason, education as well as training programs should be frequently launched in different parts of the country to get adequate women’s participation in the forestry sector.