THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN COMBATING

DESERTIFICATION IN ASAL, KENYA

Jane MutuneUniversity of Nairobi

Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies

Background

• Kenya is 80% ASAL; 20% of >40 M living in Drylands and >50% livestock production

• Major economic activity is agriculture >70% of women• Direct source of livelihood for about one billion people,

especially in developing countries• Drylands at risk of land degradation as a result of climate

change, increasing human population, land over-use and poverty.

• Possible threats: desertification, food insecurity, climate change and conflicts.

• Effect of threats felt depended on gender roles

WOMEN ROLES • Changes in women roles following: Migration:

women assume most of men’s traditional roles• When unpredictable rainfall makes food, fuel and

water scarce, women have to walk longer and farther to collect what they need for their families.

• supervise the growing infants; exclusive BF and other family chores; but women hardly have good time to undertake these in comfort

• Environmental changes: adapt to modern IGAs e.g. Beekeeping, goat rearing, marketing of agricultural and forestry products-

• But her tackle with inaccessible distant markets

WOMEN ROLES • Nonetheless, rural women in dryland areas play a key

role in NRM and achieving food security. • Women are the major food producers, fetch water and

fuel wood• Typical crops-sorghum, maize, millet, cotton, sweet

potato, cassava, coffee, banana, tea and sugar cane• thus women important in production and conservation of

the environment.

Challenges faced by women • Men in decision-making and the planning of farming

activities; women little authority and have to seek permission before they commit family resources or make decisions.

• Restricted access to large livestock herds, land and agricultural support services e.g. Credit and extension services

• limited participation in decision-making processes and development initiatives- e.g. tree of men in Turkana

• Insecure land tenure reduces incentives to maintain soil quality& ltd access to credit

• Social-cultural outlook- Limited education and employment opportunities-

• Poverty- direct link with desertification process

Interventions • GBM, started 1977- aims to prevent the destruction

of forest areas and conserving trees• Rural women involved in planting more than 50

million trees to halt desertification. • Thus women to take charge of their environment and

meet their needs and those of their families.• Alternative IGAs- agribusiness over subsistence-

Value addition on food and fruit crops- reduce environmental reliance

• Community participation – to overcome water shortage, reduced agricultural production- trap and pipe water from the Ndoto Mounts to tanks to supply domestic uses-improve livelihoods

Cont’• In Samburu- people have formed rural conservation committees

with defined responsibilities, and women are taking an active role in harvesting and marketing non-woody products like honey to earn income.

• CHASE Africa, COMEG- >1000 fuel efficient jikos• Women groups- table banking and social activities• W-power >60, 000 train clean energy sources• Rehabilitation efforts- PFM > 2.4 M trees (Sururu forest) • In Turkana the Catholic Church trains and demonstrates

agricultural production • Churches supported by NGOs Strengthen boarding institutions

to cater for nomadic pupils esp girls.• Train more local teachers and recruit them in ASALs to reduce

the chronic shortage of teachers in these areas as people from other areas view ASALs as hostile and hardship prone

Fuel efficient stoves

Traditional stove efficient jiko

Conclusions

• Gender roles are imperative in any development goals and policies

• Scale up women empowerment (education; strengthen existing community groups;)

• Involve women in decision making processes and access to productive assets

• Support the production, processing, value addition and marketing of non-wood forest products

• Get it right- women involvement in combating desertification n CC inevitable

ASANTE (Thank you)&

Be a hamming bird!!!!!