Gender issue -Significance in Watershed Management Programmes

Gender issue

In any Watershed  development project, Gender is an  important variable  that has socioeconomic significance  in analyzing and describing the aspects like  :-

1. Roles
2.  Responsibilities ,
3.  Constraints ,
4.  Opportunities

Significance of Gender issue in Watershed Management Programmes

Gender issue is becoming an important aspect  especially in watershed programmes .Its presence and importance is becoming visible in  all upcoming watershed programmes and various schemes concerned to women development

Although  various works and gender sensitization programmes has already being going on in Watershed programmes. There is good involvement of  many community based institution, Local NGOs but still there is wide scope of extending the periphery of gender issues .It will not be wise to be limited to some areas only. At this juncture, it is significant to address the issues related to   social , political and  economic aspects with health and child care at the top priority

The time has arrived view the gender issue from all angles and all dimensions . It will help to visualize the gender conditions with a combined approach so that planning can be done with a holistic approach . The integration of various gender issue whether it is social or economical  has to be dealt. Watershed management programmes has components like  agriculture and other livelihood /income generating activities  that  widen the scope of watershed programmes in providing further  thrust to gender issues especially in rural and other remote areas.

The situation of gender issue can improve if it spreads and penetrates in lives of rural community .The watershed management has a key role. Various Participatory approaches are taken during inception of a Watershed programme to formulate the watershed planning . The extension experts  from various sectors can link with the watershed programme . This will further help to have combined effort in dealing gender issues .

Watershed Programme -women’s are more linked

In a watershed programme ,the  women’s are more linked with the interventions especially of  Natural resource management . for example- the Drinking water tank , pond or  irrigation tank, in all these interventions , the masses  are the more common users .

So, the women role and their linkages to watershed approach has to be understand . Certainly , without women involvement and their sensitization , no watershed programme can reach its  ultimate goal .