10.032016

Gender equality as a pathway for sustainable development: lessons learned in Eastern and Southern Africa

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In order to advance sustainable development in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is necessary to address cross-cutting issues on gender, environment, and climate change simultaneously. Despite this, a key challenge remains in ensuring that such coordinated and integrated approaches are prioritised and implemented in national, sector, and local budgets. That is the problem discussed in this gender brief by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), which draws on the experiences of an ongoing partnership between UN Women and the United Nations Development Programme. The brief includes examples of gender, environment, and climate change integration in policy and programming in Mozambique, research in Malawi and Uganda, and programming in Tanzania, as well as in areas concerning the strengthening of institutional capacities and knowledge sharing.

 

The key messages highlighted on the first page of the gender brief emphasise that addressing gender, environment, and climate change as cross-cutting issues can advance sustainable development and empower women, and that this will necessitate the strengthening of institutional and stakeholder capacities. Furthermore, data are needed to demonstrate the added value of integrating gender into climate and natural resource frameworks to convince decision-makers to take action, while proven climate- and gender-smart technologies must be quickly up-scaled.

 

In terms of recommendations, the brief closes by presenting three key pieces of advice:

 

  • The experiences presented in this brief point to the importance of informing policy-makers and practitioners in the design and implementation of cross-sectoral gender-sensitive climate and environment policies and programmes.
  • Concerted action and partnerships leveraging the tools of government, the legislature, civil society, and the private sector are needed to enact the kind of policies that can achieve the SDGs.
  • Partnerships between UN agencies and other multilateral organisations should be strengthened to increase support for the integration of gender, environment, and climate-linked concerns in policies, budgets, and...
10.032016

Traditional gender roles of men and women in natural resource conservation among the vhavenda people in Zimbabwe: implications for sustainable development

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Natural resource conservation is absolutely key to the concept of sustainable development, yet environmental pressures continue to increase including soil degradation, water availability, and nutrient cycling. Within natural resource conservation, women play an essential, yet differentiated to men, role, meaning that analysis of gender interactions in relation to environmental management is therefore imperative for sustainable development. To this end, this journal paper explores the traditional gender roles of men and women in the conservation of natural resources among the vhavenda people in Zimbabwe, drawing lessons regarding participation, particularly of women, that can inform wider sustainable development efforts.

 

African feminism and post- colonial theory were used as theoretical frameworks to analyse the practices of the vhavenda. while a Harvard analytic framework and the social relation approach to gender analysis were used as tools to map the gender roles in their conservation activities. The research also used a phenomenological research approach as part of the purely qualitative study, to ensure that understanding emerged directly from the experiences of the men and women themselves. In-depth, unstructured interviews were conducted with respondents aged seventy and above, with five females and three males interviewed in the Beit-Bridge district in south west Zimbabwe. These were chosen for their extensive knowledge of traditional methods.

 

The research revealed that the type of resources that were of concern to the vhavenda people included soil, water, and certain plant species that were important sources of firewood, timber, and food. Certain trees are conserved for sacred and cultural reasons, with rules as to who can cut down trees, and how. Conservation of water was not gendered, with both men and women participating in actions such as fencing off water-sources from animals. Soil degradation prevention takes precedence over correction, with men cutting terraces to prevent soil erosion, and women planting grasses. Animal species conservation depended on availability, importance, and use, while the study also revealed that although women and men had different uses and benefits from natural resource, there was an ethic of cooperation, dialogue, and collaboration among men and women when it comes to resource conservation.

 

The study recommends that natural resource conservation in the context of sustainable development, that is, using modern technologies and methods, needs to embrace some of the practices of the vhavenda, among which are complementarity, cooperation, inclusiveness, dialogue, and negotiation between men and women. In promoting equal participation between genders, this approach will help to overcome some of the barriers of participation seen elsewhere, especially unequal gender relations that cause gendered...

10.032016

Literacy and education for sustainable development and women’s empowerment

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That women comprise two-thirds of the world’s non-literate population has been a matter of concern for the development sectors for decades. Despite a number of high-profile literacy initiatives and interventions, the gender disparity is persisting in many countries, leading UNESCO to publish this report examining the ways in which literacy is approached with regard to development. The guiding assumption of the report is that only by looking in depth at the processes of literacy learning and development practice can we start to address the challenge of narrowing the gender gap in literacy attainment.

 

Traditionally, educational policy-makers and planners have focused on literacy access and outcome, while researchers have directed attention to measuring social and economic benefits. Meanwhile, there has been a lack of focus on the social processes associated with literacy learning and development. This report sets out to take a wider lens on literacy, to include a more nuanced examination of how and why literacy programmes can contribute to sustainable development, and processes of women’s empowerment.

 

The authors begin by mapping the conceptual field of sustainable development, providing a short history of the concept from its introduction by the World Commission on Environment and Development in its 1987 report. The role of education within sustainable development is discussed, including the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD, 2005-2014) initiative. The report then discusses women’s empowerment, including in the contexts of formal and informal learning approaches, and raises issues regarding the limitations of planned development interventions.

 

The authors then focus on the implications of taking a sustainable development and women’s empowerment approach to adult literacy and learning, before reviewing trends in policy and programming. The report notes a shift from functional aims regarding literacy, such as teaching women basic literacy to understand specific development goals such as sanitation, maternal/child health, and nutrition, toward a more politicised rights-based approach that directly challenges gender relations and roles. Finally, the report reviews a wide range of adult literacy programmes through a gendered Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) lens that uses what the authors call the ‘three pillars’ of ESD: economic growth, social equality, and environmental sustainability. Programmes are grouped and analysed according to which of the three pillars is the primary objective, though the authors note programmes should, and often do, combine at least two of the three, and are preferably as cross-cutting as possible.

 

The paper concludes with recommendations and action points concerning four key areas that can, if addressed, help to ensure that literacy programmes can respond to sustainable development goals, and that education for sustainability takes a transformative approach to women’s empowerment:

 

  • Literacy policy should build on and strengthen the interconnections between the three pillars of sustainable development by developing a more holistic, cross-sectoral, and empowerment-centred approach. Suggested action points include the planning and evaluating of adult literacy programmes through the framework of ESD by governments and international agencies, and for programme staff and education policy-makers to expand collaboration across sectors.
  • A wider range of research evidence is required to inform policy-making and planning: international development agencies need to build research capacity in partner organisations; policy-makers should promote participatory approaches, at national and local levels, that include poor women and girls; and literacy teachers and programme staff should be trained to conduct research so that they can continuously reflect, learn, and teach.
  • There is an urgent need for education-focused sustainable development to incorporate a gender dimension, and promote a transformative approach to women’s empowerment. Participants in ESD debates must ensure that a gendered analysis of literacy, and a holistic, transformative approach to women’s empowerment, informs future ESD goals and strategies. Such an approach must recognise both formal and informal sectors as agents of change, and be supported through capacity-building in gender awareness and planning.
  • The post-2015 Education for All goals must explicitly recognise the importance of literacy to sustainable development and women’s empowerment. All participants at the conference must advocate for a stronger commitment to adult literacy within the goals. Additionally, governments and international agencies should increase funding for adult literacy, and mobilise the private sector in partnerships with national adult literacy programmes to increase both funding and...
10.032016

Women education as tool for sustainable development: issues and prospects

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Nigeria is a society in transition, and subject to a number of growth and development challenges, not least the systemic discrimination against women common to many developing countries. The best way to support this transition and advance human development is through education, particularly women’s education, so that Nigeria can make best use of its human resources rather than limit the productivity and contribution of one half of its population. That is the argument in this paper which explores the issues and prospects of focusing on woman education as a driver for sustainable development in Nigeria.

 

The paper presents a literature review to discuss girls participation in education, illustrating the positive impacts that can arise when girls are granted their human rights and allowed access to education. Also discussed is the debate on gender parity in education, conceptual frameworks, and the role of education in sustainable development, national unity, and integration.

 

A questionnaire was used to collect relevant data, and background information obtained from the respondents was interpreted and analyzed using t-test. The presentation and analysis of the results was carried out around the research questions that guided the study, namely: is there any significant difference in academic performance between students from educated mothers and those from illiterate mothers? And are there any significant difference in contribution to nation building between educated women and their male counterparts?

 

The null hypothesis of the study was that there was no discernable difference in either case. However, upon analysis, the author concluded that there was a significant discernable difference regarding both questions, thereby rejecting each null hypothesis. In each case, the results were more favourable on the side of educated mothers and women. From this, we can see the importance of women's education, both in terms of generational change and wider national development.

 

The authors note that despite these results, it has been been recognised  in many countries that the development process does not promote gender equity in the distribution of the benefits of economic growth, and that men are disproportionately benefiting at the expense of women. Women’s labour is too often seen as supplementary to that of men, leading to expectations that the development programme benefits will reach women via their husbands and men in their families. Furthermore, socio-cultural restrictions often inhibit women's active participation in the development process, an issue which has become a major focus of research and policy throughout the world.

 

A number of recommendations are made that, if actioned, can help drive sustainable development in Nigeria through education and women's empowerment. These include: the legislation of universal basic education (UBI) as a compulsory act, and free for every school-age child; punishment for parents who violate the compulsory UBI programme by denying their children education; constitutional provision for the fundamental human rights of women and girls, including education; ending economic discrimination, and allowing women equal property, employment, and financial rights; and ensuring, including via the constitution, that a reasonable number of political positions throughout the country are reserved for...

10.032016

Strategies for managing vulnerability of women vegetable farmers in the central region of Ghana

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Women constitute an important part of food systems around the world, as evidenced by the fact that they produce an estimated 70% of subsistence crops, and the fundamental role they play in processing and distribution. However, many of these women lack access to necessary agricultural resources, meaning that they represent a vast, largely untapped source of increased productivity and sustainability. It also means that they face significant vulnerabilities, which must be viewed in a gendered fashion. While research has explored the link between rural women farmers and environmental sustainability and food security, less attention has been placed on the role of rural women farmers during production.

 

This study seeks to fill this knowledge gap, with a look at the vulnerabilities and adaptive responses of rural women vegetable farmers in the Central Region of Ghana. Specifically, the study sought to determine: the vulnerability of women vegetable farmers in the Central Region; the strategies they adopted to sustainably manage their livelihoods; the relationship between the level of vulnerability and strategies adopted; and the factors that best predict livelihood in terms of vulnerability and adopted strategies. The study used a descriptive correlational survey in three districts chosen for their high density of women vegetable farmers, together with personal interviews.

 

Before getting to an analysis of the results, the author presents a brief literature review, focused around four themes: a discussion on the definitions of and relationships between sustainable development and sustainability; different vulnerability contexts, such as seasonal-, shock-, and trend-based; the multifaceted nature of vulnerability faced by farmers, e.g. markets, climate, extreme events, etc; and strategies for managing livelihoods, noted as usually being based on the availability of capabilities and assets.

 

The results of the study showed that the women vegetable farmers were vulnerable to the external environment, notably to the price of agricultural inputs, followed by lack of funds. The results also showed that of the potential vulnerabilities they faced, they were least concerned with social unrest, theft, and land disputes. Responses by the women farmers to mitigate or overcome these vulnerabilities included buying inputs according to their budget constraints, and seeking assistance from local farmer’s groups.

 

Other findings include that family assistance was reported by 8% of respondents, but was deemed to be ineffective overall. Loans from banks and ‘susu’ operators were often accompanied by high interest rates and so deemed unsuitable, while the majority of women farmers did not employ any strategy concerning unpredictable rainfall (97%), price fluctuations (68%), or unfavourable market prices (67%). Responses to these included drying and storing food and selling it later, or moving the produce to sell in a larger, urban area. Around 95% of respondents used pesticides, which they deemed effective, while half of those who reported vulnerability to dry periods effectively used pumps to irrigate their farms.

 

A number of other vulnerabilities were reported by the women vegetable farmers that are worthy of note in the paper’s conclusion. A total of 40 women reported bad health; 81% of those have access to a hospital, and a further 8% self-medicate, each of which was deemed effective. On theft, 75% did nothing to counteract the problem, while the 25% receiving farmer group monitoring deemed it ineffective. Finally, land disputes, insufficient labour, and civil unrest were negligible, uncommon, and non-existent...