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Engendered Environments: Understanding Natural Resource Management in the West African Forest Zone

1991; Wiley; Volume: 22; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1759-5436.1991.mp22004004.x

1759-5436

Melissa Leach,

Agriculture, Land Use, Rural Development

IDS BulletinVolume 22, Issue 4 p. 17-24 Engendered Environments: Understanding Natural Resource Management in the West African Forest Zone Melissa Leach, Melissa LeachSearch for more papers by this author Melissa Leach, Melissa LeachSearch for more papers by this author First published: October 1991 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1759-5436.1991.mp22004004.xCitations: 9AboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Abstract Summary This article shows that a focus on the gender relations of resource use and control is crucial to understanding local resource management practices and innovations. Both conventional gender-blind approaches and those which isolate 'women's roles' for analysis tend to obscure these relations. As an alternative a micro-political economy perspective is articulated which identifies gender divisions of interests, labour, rights, responsibilities and their dynamic intersection in social relations. Two case studies — of changing land and tree management in Sierra Leone, and of agroforestry development initiatives in Nigeria — illustrate such an approach and its relevance to policy formulation. Resumen Ambientes engendrados: el manejo de los recursos naturales en la zona boscosa del oeste africano Este artículo ilustra el hecho de que la focalización de las relaciones de género entre el uso y el control de los recursos es crucial para entender su manejo local, y sus innovaciones. Critica tanto el enfoque convencional que ignora el género, como a los que aíslan "roles femeninos" para su análisis, y articula una perspectiva económica micro-política como alternativa. Esta identifica divisiones de género en intereses, labores, derechos, responsabilidades y su intersección dirnámica en relaciones sociales. Dos casos de estudio — cambios en el manejo de la tierra y los árboles en Sierra Leona, e iniciativas de desarrollo agroforestal en Nigeria — aclaran este enfoque y su importancia en la formulación de normas de conducta. Résumé Les environnements à différentiation des genres: comment mieux comprendre la gestion des ressources naturels dans la région forestière de l'Afrique occidentale Cet article Veut démontrer à quel point, au niveau de la gestion et du contrôle des ressources, il est essentiel de s'axer sur les rapports entre les genres si l'on veut acquérir une compréhension valable des pratiques, soient-elles consacrées ou novatrices, de gestion locate des ressources. Voulant critiquer à la fois l'aveuglement des approches conventionnelles quant aux questions de genre et l'isolement dans l'analyse des 'rôles des femmes', l'auteur propose en alternative une micro-perspective sur l'économie politique dans laquelle est identifiée la division par les genres au niveau des intérêts, du travail, des droits, des responsabilités; ainsi que l'intersection dynamique de cette division dans les rapports sociaux. Deux études de cas (l'une sur les changements survenus dans la gestion foncière et forestière en Sierra Leone et l'autre, sur les initiatives de développement agro-forestières au Nigéria) illuminent cette approche et expliquent sa pertinence pour la formulation des politiques. 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Whitehead, 1990, 'Food crisis and gender conflict in the African countryside', in H. Bernstein et al (eds.), The Food Question: Profits versus People? Earthscan Publications, London Citing Literature Volume22, Issue4October 1991Pages 17-24 ReferencesRelatedInformation