Although women’s rights and participation in forestry are recognized and addressed in Uganda policy and law, the actual practice on the ground still excludes women from participating in decision making and benefiting from forest and tree resources. Cultural norms, beliefs and practices constrain women’s access and control of forest and tree resources. This undermines their investments in sustainable forest use and management and further limits their participation in decision making and benefit sharing. This research explored ways in which women’s rights and access to forests could be strengthened, and mechanisms for enhancing their participation in forest resource management, decision making and benefits sharing. We present lessons from and outcomes of processes of facilitation and negotiation using an adaptive collaborative management (ACM) approach in six randomly selected communities in four districts in Central Uganda. After six years of implementing ACM activities, our findings suggest that despite being usually regarded as “sticky,” with careful facilitation and negotiation, change of gender-based customary norms can be speeded up. These processes can also help determine more just directions of cultural change thereby offering potential for enhancing gender equity over a short period of time. We have learnt that the involvement of men, the provision of safe platforms for women to express themselves, exposure through exchange programmes, leadership training (for both men and women) and support from collaborating partners are essential for enabling gender-transformative outcomes.
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TI - Strengthening women's tenure rights and participation in community forestry in central Uganda
AU - Mukasa, C.M.
AU - Tibazalika, A.
AU - Banana, A.Y.
AU - Mwangi, E.
AU - Mutimukuru-Maravanyika, T.
AB - Although women’s rights and participation in forestry are recognized and addressed in Uganda policy and law, the actual practice on the ground still excludes women from participating in decision making and benefiting from forest and tree resources. Cultural norms, beliefs and practices constrain women’s access and control of forest and tree resources. This undermines their investments in sustainable forest use and management and further limits their participation in decision making and benefit sharing. This research explored ways in which women’s rights and access to forests could be strengthened, and mechanisms for enhancing their participation in forest resource management, decision making and benefits sharing. We present lessons from and outcomes of processes of facilitation and negotiation using an adaptive collaborative management (ACM) approach in six randomly selected communities in four districts in Central Uganda. After six years of implementing ACM activities, our findings suggest that despite being usually regarded as “sticky,” with careful facilitation and negotiation, change of gender-based customary norms can be speeded up. These processes can also help determine more just directions of cultural change thereby offering potential for enhancing gender equity over a short period of time. We have learnt that the involvement of men, the provision of safe platforms for women to express themselves, exposure through exchange programmes, leadership training (for both men and women) and support from collaborating partners are essential for enabling gender-transformative outcomes.
PY - 2022
PB - Routledge
PP - London
UR - https://www.cifor-icraf.org/knowledge/publication/8358/
DO - https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003197256-9
KW - community forestry, community involvement, forest management, gender, landscape conservation, tenure systems
ER -Endnote (.ciw)
%T Strengthening women's tenure rights and participation in community forestry in central Uganda
%A Mukasa, C.M.
%A Tibazalika, A.
%A Banana, A.Y.
%A Mwangi, E.
%A Mutimukuru-Maravanyika, T.
%D 2022
%I Routledge
%C London
%U https://www.cifor-icraf.org/knowledge/publication/8358/
%R https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003197256-9
%X Although women’s rights and participation in forestry are recognized and addressed in Uganda policy and law, the actual practice on the ground still excludes women from participating in decision making and benefiting from forest and tree resources. Cultural norms, beliefs and practices constrain women’s access and control of forest and tree resources. This undermines their investments in sustainable forest use and management and further limits their participation in decision making and benefit sharing. This research explored ways in which women’s rights and access to forests could be strengthened, and mechanisms for enhancing their participation in forest resource management, decision making and benefits sharing. We present lessons from and outcomes of processes of facilitation and negotiation using an adaptive collaborative management (ACM) approach in six randomly selected communities in four districts in Central Uganda. After six years of implementing ACM activities, our findings suggest that despite being usually regarded as “sticky,” with careful facilitation and negotiation, change of gender-based customary norms can be speeded up. These processes can also help determine more just directions of cultural change thereby offering potential for enhancing gender equity over a short period of time. We have learnt that the involvement of men, the provision of safe platforms for women to express themselves, exposure through exchange programmes, leadership training (for both men and women) and support from collaborating partners are essential for enabling gender-transformative outcomes.
%K community forestry
%K community involvement
%K forest management
%K gender
%K landscape conservation
%K tenure systems
Publication year
2022
ISBN
978-1-003-19725-6 (ebook)
Authors
Mukasa, C.M.; Tibazalika, A.; Banana, A.Y.; Mwangi, E.; Mutimukuru-Maravanyika, T.
Language
English
Keywords
community forestry, community involvement, forest management, gender, landscape conservation, tenure systems
Source
Adaptive Collaborative Management in Forest Landscapes: Villagers, Bureaucrats and Civil Society. Routledge: LondonGeographic
Uganda
