Gender and natural resources management

Abstract

This is a module in the "Gender in Agriculture Sourcebook" published by the World Bank, UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and International Fund for Agricultural Development. This module examines the role that women play in the management and conservation of natural resources. Impoverished individuals living in rural areas are directly affected by environmental degradation because they depend on natural resources as sources of food and income. Utilizing the unique perspectives and skills women possess in strategies of natural resource management reduces time and labor spent on subsistence and can allow more time for crop production for profit, child care, etc. However such practices are not possible without secure land rights and access to resources to implement policies of environmental management and conservation. This issue is expanded upon in the following Thematic Notes: Gender and Biodiversity; Gender Dimensions of Climate Change; Gender and Bioenergy; Gender and Natural Disasters; and Gender Dimensions of Land and Water Degradation and Desertification. A specific case from India is also examined.