Gender and Desertification: Expanding Roles for Woman to Restore Drylands

This 32-page report looks at the impact of desertification on women around the world and their role in dealing with the problem. It examines the way in which women in particular are affected by desertification and highlights the role they play in the management of natural resources and drylands, as well as the constraints they face. It presents the experiences of several International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) supported programmes and projects in addressing women as natural resource users and managers in dryland areas, and highlights some of the approaches used to reach women more effectively. It also presents lessons learned from IFAD programmes and projects, and recommendations for expanding women’s roles in order to restore dryland areas.

According to this report, in many of the world’s drylands, which include much of Africa, women’s traditional roles and knowledge in natural resource management and food security are particularly crucial. They are thus severely affected when erosion and diminished soil fertility result in decreased crop and livestock productivity and lessen the sources of income derived from these products. Yet, despite their roles and extensive knowledge, women living in drylands (who tend to rank among the poorest of the poor) often face constraints in their efforts to care for their families and for the lands on which they depend.

The report discusses the factors that impact on women's involvement in desertification and drylands projects. According to the report, women in drylands regions have traditionally been seen as important sources of knowledge related to environmental management for medicines, food, and water. However, these knowledge systems are under threat by modernising forces that devalue traditional practices and the special roles of women.

Another factor affecting women's involvement is access to support and extension services. Women have difficulty accessing these services for various reasons including high rates of illiteracy, lack of land ownership, commonly held gender biases, lack of knowledge or incorporation of gender issues into extension work or agriculture projects, cultural restrictions that prevent women from participating, lack of free time, and lack of confidence. Also, according to the report, women and men do not usually participate equally in decision-making on the management of community natural resources. This has led to the neglect of the specific roles and needs of women farmers.

The report outlines projects that IFAD has been involved in, and how these have attempted to deal with the above challenges. These attempts included increasing women’s access to knowledge, setting up women’s organisations, and ensuring women are included at all levels in the design and development of programmes.

The document also gives recommendations for future project developers. It suggests strengthening rural women's groups so that they can improve their skills, share knowledge, and engage in income-generating or environmental management activities, enabling them to advance their own interests and issues. It also suggests capacity building activities dealing with participatory approaches and gender mainstreaming.