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| Synthesis report and Four Case Studies |
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Gender Issues and Development of an Improved Focus on Women in Natural Resource Management and Agricultural Projects.
DCG Report 3A
Size: 1,2 MB
Gunnvor Berge, Kjersti Larsen and Simon Rye
In 1985 the Norwegian Parliament resolved to increase Norwegian support to the Sahel belt in Africa, which had experienced a series of drought years in the 1970s and 1980s. The SSE-(Sahel-Sudan-Ethiopia) programme was launched, with a focus on environmental rehabilitation, natural resource management, improved food security and competence building. Three countries were to receive most of the funding: Sudan, Ethiopia and Mali. Since, a number of Norwegian NGOs working in these countries have received funding through the SSE-programme.
The SSE-programme was terminated in 1996. However, most of the SSE-development projects implemented through Norwegian NGOs are still running. They are co-ordinated by a new administrative structure referred to as the Drylands Coordination Group (DCG), for which Noragric has continued to function as an advisor.
Several project-oriented evaluations and reviews have been carried out since the SSE-programme started. This modest study is different by focusing on a particular theme, and to compare the approaches, activities, processes and lessons learnt with reference to the theme in four SSE-financed development projects. The theme retained for analysis and comparison is gender issues within natural resource management- and agricultural projects.
The major objectives of the study is to "identify important hindrances and bottlenecks that exist in targeting of women in natural resource- and agricultural projects, and to develop criteria and tools for how to improve women’s access and control over vital natural resources". In order to do so, the Terms of Reference (ToR) specifies that we are both to give a general description of gender systems in the project areas, and to describe and analyse project activities initiated, emphasising gender issues. We were also asked to assess whether project activities and development pull in the same direction. In Mali, where the projects visited are in their phasing out period, we were to emphasise project history.
The objective was to be achieved through case-studies of the activities, approaches and experiences of four Norwegian-funded development projects in Sahel: Norwegian Church Aid’s Wag Environmental Rehabilitation and Development Programme in Ethiopia, Norwegian Church Aid’s Gourma Integrated Development Programme in Mali, ADRA’s Um Jawasir Irrigation Project in Sudan, and CARE’s Agroforestry project in Koro, Mali. Due to problems of insecurity in Ethiopia, the "Ethiopian team" was constrained to remain in the capital and postpone the field study.
Each case study has resulted in a report. These reports constitute the basis for the synthesis, presenting major lessons learned from the studies of gender involvement in the four selected cases. Through comparison, major hindrances and bottlenecks for a greater involvement of women in development projects have been identified. These insights serve as a basis for an indication of domains, activities and approaches that may be considered when strategies for a greater involvement of women are to be developed.
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