Abstract
This research study sought to determine the role of women in the sustainable management of indigenous woodlands in Manicaland province using Marange communal lands as a point of reference. In this study three traditional leaders, three women’s groups and seventy community women were used as research subjects. Questionnaires were used to gather data from the local women from the three selected villages. Interviews were also used to collect information from traditional leaders and women’s group leaders. These interviews were important in complementing data collected through questionnaires. Field observations were also carried out to enrich the data collected through interviews and questionnaires. The study showed that while women played a vital role in the sustainable management of indigenous woodlands in Marange communal lands, they faced various constraints including greater workload at home with little time to pursue activities outside the family. Therefore the study recommends that since women are more intimately involved with the environment through their day to day activities like fuel wood collection, they should be given due recognition in decision making processes. Finally, it is also recommended that the land tenure system should be redesigned to cater for female heads of households.
Highlights
Rural communities the world over have been utilizing indigenous woodlands resources for millennia
This research design was chosen because since it does enhance internal and external validity but it has an exploratory nature whereby additional variables maybe discovered that shed new light upon the phenomena in question, in this case, the role of women in the sustainable management of indigenous woodlands in Marange Communal Lands
On assessing the time spent fetching fuel wood per day, the results indicated that they spend less than one hour
Summary
Rural communities the world over have been utilizing indigenous woodlands resources for millennia. Today human activities have intensified and population has increased. This has led to household fuel wood scarcity, affecting women and their families. Time allocation studies of women’s work have illuminated with frightening clarity the hours and days spent collecting combustible material for the preparation of food. Loss of forest resources that were sources of fibres, edible fruits, medicines and other goods, due to deforestation, has directly affected household livelihoods, but has adversely affected small scale rural and household industries. Much attention has to be paid to maintaining forest resources and using them in a sustainable manner, (Women Feature Service, 1992)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
