Use of firewood in an indigenous community from the Sierra Norte de Puebla: a gender perspective on the access to natural resources

Objective: To analyze some elements considered key to understanding the rights of use, access and ownership of natural resources according to the social roles assigned to each sex in the community of Reyeshogpan, Puebla. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology used is that of participant observation complemented by the application of 24 semi-structured interviews with households in the community. Results: The results indicate that the surface areas range between 0.25 ± 3.0 hectares, where 40.79% of those consulted own surfaces of less than 0.5 hectares, an insufficient surface area to cover their annual energy needs (10,752 m3 / household), which is why they resort to renting, borrowing land, and buying firewood.  In terms of access to land, 82.14% is in the hands of men and 17.86% in the hands of women. This percentage of female holders does not imply that they can exercise their rights as owners, as men, thus confirming that access to land influences the availability of firewood and its use for energy. Limitations on study/implications: The analysis of the use and quantity of fuelwood used by households used information provided in the interviews, which may underestimate or overestimate quantities. Findings/conclusions: For the community of Reyeshogpan, firewood collection is gender-based, based on the physical differences between men and women, finding that there are specific tasks for men to collect firewood that are related to their physical strength and tasks that women carry out in a complementary way and without any economic value whatsoever. Keywords: Gender, wood energy, energy in households.Objective: To analyze several key elements in order to understand the rights of use, access, and ownership of natural resources, based on the social roles assigned to each gender in the community of Reyeshogpan, Puebla, Mexico. Design/Methodology/Approach: A participant observation methodology was used, complemented by the application of 24 semi-structured interviews in local households. Results: The surface ranges of the plots are 0.25 ± 3.0 ha. Out of all the interviewees, 40.79% own less than 0.5 ha, which is not enough to cover their annual energy needs (10,752 m3 per household). Therefore, they rent and loan their land, as well as purchase of firewood. Regarding the access to land category, 82.14% is owned by men and 17.86% by women. However, this percentage of female holders does not imply that they can exercise their rights as owners, because the land is generally administered by men. This situation confirms that the access to land influences the availability of firewood and its energy use. Study Limitations/Implications: The information provided by the interviewees was the basis for the analysis of the use and amount of firewood used by households; however, the interviewees may have underestimated or overestimated the amounts. Findings/Conclusions: In the Reyeshogpan community, the gathering of firewood is carried out according to gender, based on the physical differences between men and women. Tasks specifically assigned to men are related to their physical strength, while the tasks performed by women are considered complementary and are not given any economic value