Women and men in tropical dry forests: a preliminary review Hommes et femmes dans les forêts sèches tropicales: une analyse préliminaire

Abstract

SUMMARY From a broad review of 670 publications on gender and forests, ~130 were found to address the world's dry forests. These were examined with the intent to extract gendered social, cultural, political and economic patterns of relevance in such forests. Seven interrelated themes recurred in this literature: 1) population pressure, 2) migration, 3) intra-familial and inter-group conflict, 4) hierarchy and significant power differences, 5) strict gender differentiation, 6) commercialization of crops and NTFPs, and 7) fuelwood collection. Based upon these themes, the uniqueness of each situation and the importance of finetuning any approach to local realities to generate outcomes that can benefit women, we propose four promising ways to enhance the prospects for gender equity in dry forest areas: 1) a strengthening of groups and collective action, 2) explicit challenges to traditional gender norms, 3) a focus on products and spaces that interest women, and 4) addressing migration and population issues. Keywords: dry forests, gender, population, migration, conflict, gender stereotype, fuelwood, collective action Hommes et femmes dans les forêts sèches tropicales: une analyse préliminaire C.J.P. COLFER, M. ELIAS et R. JAMNADASS Parmi 670 publications portant sur le genre et les forêts, nous en avons identifié ~ 130 se concentrant sur les forêts sèches du monde. Nous y avons analysé les principaux enjeux par rapport aux relations de genre dans les sphères socio-culturelle, politique et économique. Sept thèmes communs et interreliés se sont dégagés de cette analyse : 1) la pression démographique, 2) la migration, 3) les conflits inter-familiaux et intergroupes, 4) la hiérarchie et la différence de pouvoir, 5) une différenciation prononcée selon le sexe, 6) la commercialisation des récoltes et des PFNL et 7) la collecte de bois de chauffe. Basé sur ces analyses et tenant compte de l'importance du contexte local dans tout enjeu par rapport au genre, nous proposons quatre voies prometteuses pour favoriser l'égalité des sexes dans les zones de forêts sèches : 1) un renforcement des groupes locaux et des actions collectives, 2) une volonté explicite de remettre en question les normes traditionnelles liées aux genre, 3) un accent sur les produits et espaces d'importance pour les femmes et 4) une approche qui aborde les questions de migration et de population. Mujeres y hombres en los bosques secos tropicales: una revisión preliminar C.J.P. COLFER, M. ELIAS y R. JAMNADASS A partir de una amplia revisión de 670 publicaciones sobre género y bosques, se encontró que ~130 tratan los bosques secos del mundo. Éstas se examinaron con la intención de extraer patrones de género sociales, culturales, políticos y económicos relevantes en dichos bosques. En esta literatura son recurrentes siete temas relacionados entre sí: 1) presión poblacional, 2) migración, 3) conflictos intrafamiliares y entre grupos, 4) jerarquía y diferencias significativas de poder, 5) diferenciación estricta entre géneros, 6) comercialización de cultivos y productos forestales no maderables, y 7) recolección de leña. Tomando estos temas como punto de partida, la singularidad de cada situación y la importancia de afinar cualquier acercamiento a las realidades locales con el que generar resultados que puedan beneficiar a las mujeres, proponemos cuatro formas prometedoras de mejorar las perspectivas de equidad de género en las áreas de bosque seco: 1) el fortalecimiento de los grupos y la acción colectiva, 2) cuestionar de manera explícita las normas tradicionales de género, 3) un enfoque en productos y espacios de interés para las mujeres, y 4) tratar las cuestiones de migración y población. Women and men in tropical dry forests 71 In some cases, eroded resilience can result in a vicious cycle of land users driven to over-use. This in turn can reduce the capacity of the land, and adversely affect human wellbeing. These already limited natural resources can face serious environmental constraints-likely to worsen as a result of climate change. The history of relief aid rather than development in many areas has led to a recent interest among many in building resilience through still more diversified livelihood strategies-further recognizing that dry forests also contribute to national economies. Our focus on gender can contribute to better understanding and thereby increase the effectiveness of development interventions; dry forest systems involve human components (crops, livestock, trees, fibers, fish, fruits and vegetables with many human uses). As many have noted, men's and women's roles vary greatly. To enhance the prospects of gender equity, sustainable resource management, and enhanced productivity, a good understanding of conditions and factors affecting gender in these areas is needed. The definition of gender we use in this paper fits with global usage. Norms, practices, ideals and hopes for the future that contribute respectively to the social and ideational structures and conduct of women's and men's lives were of special interest. METHODS AND ORGANIZATION Gender-responsive studies carried out in dry forest areas or in dry areas where trees are useful to people's lives were included in this review. Although we have not had a strict dividing line between humid and dry forests-a topic that can elicit great disagreement-for the purpose of this paper we have considered areas with <~1 000mm of rainfall per year as "dry". As many papers on gender do not specify anything about ecological conditions, in some cases, published national or sub-national rainfall averages served as partial guides. These data were supplemented by other indications in the paper, such as the highlighting of drought (as in Uttar Pradesh) and/or our own general knowledge of the regions