Women and economy

“Stress gender equality and the empowerment of women”, - Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General

Women constitute more than half of the total population in Nepal.  They are active players in national economy. However, women’s contribution has not been well accounted in the national economy. The national data shows that more men than women are economically active (68% of men: 49% of women) (Population Census 2001). More men than women are involved in salary/ wage or own economic enterprise (44%:17%). Fewer men than women are involved in agricultural work (47%:58%). Fewer men than women are involved in others including household works (10%:26%). These facts reveal that sharp difference between men and women lies in salary/ wage or own economic enterprises.

Women are more incident to poverty due primarily to gender based discrimination and violence. However, the facts about women leadership and poverty at the household level in Nepal are dubious. The Nepal Living Standard Survey (NLLS) 1996 revealed that the women headed households had higher incidence of poverty. Unlike, NLLS (2004) revealed that women headed households had lower incidence of poverty. It could be due to migration of men and high income level from remittance (www.undp.org.np/publication/html/mdg2005/04_MDG_NPL_Goal1.pdf).

Thus, the national policies and programmes need to focus on empowering women, from all castes and class; enhancing economic opportunities and reducing gender based discrimination and violence.

Micro-financing the poor

Poor can initiate the income generating activities and repay the loan. Micro-financing has been an important part of the economic development process, that is intended to uplift the economic status of the poor.  

Under progress.

Forest Conservation Pays to Communities

Sooner or later, community contribution pays. Conservation and sustainable management of the forest increases carbon stock. Carbon stock reducing green house gas emission contributing to climate change mitigation. Voluntary market pays for carbon stock. According to news published in Kathmandu Post on 14 June 2011, the payment for carbon stock ranges from US$ 3 to 5 in the current market, that could go to even US 20 per tone of carbon sequestration. This payment is made for additionality the communities make for conservation and sustainable use. A pilot project in Nepal (ICIMOD among others) has the experience that the communities have been able to increase 2.67 tonnes of carbon per hectare of forest in a year. In monetary term, the community could earn US$ 8 to 10.7 per hectare per year. Now the concern is how best that sum of money could be used for the benefit of the marginalised communities so that they would be encouraged to undertake conservation and sustainable use.

Community Based Watershed Management: Factors Activating Users for Post-Project Management in the Western Hills of Nepal

Shrestha, B. (2008).  Community Based Watershed Management: Factors Activating Users for Post-Project Management in the Western Hills of Nepal. Lap Lambert Publishing House, Koeln, Germany.

Most often externally induced local institutions fail as the support is withdrawn. This poses what motivates users to continue managing the project support. This book examines organizational structure, function, internal resource and external linkage of project induced watershed management user groups. Collective action due to common interest leads to better participation of users in activating group functions including regular operation and maintenance. With such initiatives, the active user groups have accrued apparent benefits. Active groups have better training and exposures. The activeness of a group largely depends on how far its members benefit personally and directly from collective actions. The book concludes that the externally induced collective actions that cannot provide direct benefits will not be managed after the withdrawal of support. Users’ contribution to implementation and operation and their rights would enhance collective action and accrual of benefits. Linking the groups with local government, instituting multi-purpose groups and providing training would enhance the regular management of project support.

Natural versus Plantation Forest under Community Management in Nepal's Far-Western Tarai

Forest will continue to degrade if indigenous people and local community's rights to sustainable forest management are not ensured. Community forest management is a viable regime to address this issue. However, there are limited studies on differences among Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs) in terms of population, forest condition and resource availability. The CFUGs with natural or plantation forest in Kailali and Kanchanpur of Nepal's far-western Tarai have varied experiences in conservation and use of forest products. They are diverse in terms of population composition and resource endowment. The CFUGs with natural forest are more resourceful than those with plantation forest. The CFUGs with plantation forest have high population pressure per household and unit area of CF. Men and hill migrants have dominated the decision making positions and processes more in the CFUGs with natural forest. The CFUGs with natural forest are relatively in the better-off position in terms of forest area available per household, forest product available from the mature forest and income generation from distribution of forest products outside and with in the CFUGs. The CFUGs with plantation forest less availability of forest products from young forest resulting in high population pressure on government managed forest and other sources to meet their demands. Thus, the government should devise separate policies to evaluate and support the 'natural' and 'plantation' forests. Analysis of demand and supply of forest products in CFUGs and their networking will help meet the demand of various segments of the CFUG and also neighbouring communities. The forest authorities and federations of CFUGs have important role to analyse demand and supply, and make provisions for distribution of forest products within and outside CFUGs. External support to provide biogas and improved cooking stoves would be imperative to reduce forest product consumption. Promotion of non-timber forest products in both natural and plantation forests would help conserve forest, generate income and develop ownership among the users for sustainable forest management. Promotion of agroforestry and private forestry would help increase the supply of forest products and adopt livestock stall feeding practice. The provision of leasehold and private property rights and their transferability within and outside CF management regimes will help benefit the poor for sustainable resource management.

This article is under progress.

Capacity building with the financial support

A Case Article by Basan Shrestha

Capacity building coupled with the financial support helps develop entrepreneurship. Chandra Bahadur Thapa, a young resident of Amarbasti, Basisebichawa-9, Kanchanpur is busy these days in his carpentry workshop and providing service to the communities. This has been possible with the entrepreneurship training he attended and the loan he received from Mohana Laljhadi Area Saving and Credit Cooperative Ltd., Baisebichawa. He earns two to three hundreds per day for his support to the households in the community. Income from his workshop is extra. He has hired two trainees to support him in his workshop and pays one hundred rupees per day to each of them.

In 2007, Western Terai Landscape Complex Project (WTLCP) had organised the entrepreneurship development training for the poor community members to develop their knowledge and skill on entrepreneurship. The training was conducted with the expectation that entrepreneurship will help increase income and reduce dependency of communities on forest resources contributing to biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods. Mohana Laljhadi Area Coordination Committee had selected the participants of the training based on the outcomes of participatory well-being ranking.

After receiving training, Chandra received a loan of seven thousand rupees from Mohana Laljhadi Area Cooperative at the interest rate of eight percent per year so long as the loan has to be paid back within two years. Chandra purchased carpentry tools such as driller and saw with that sum of money, which had been helpful to scale up his profession. He has already payed back the money lent from the cooperative within the stipulated time. "I am encouraged to well equip my workshop. For that purpose, I have requested Mohana Laljhadi Area Cooperative for second loan", says Chandra. He is a member of Amar Gokul proposed Community Forest User Group and actively participates in forest conservation as well.

On the whole, building capacity is necessary but not sufficient to develop entrepreneurship. Community people adopt a profession if it is suitable to one's interest and skill and rewarding economically, socially and environmentally. The entrepreneurship that is based on mobilising local resource persons and materials will be more sustainable.

Biogas-An Effective Means of Reducing Fuelwood

A Case Article by Basan Shrestha

"Biogas has reduced the consumption of fuelwood as a cooking fuel to less than half ", says Alkaiya Chaudhari, a user of Chetana Women Community Forest User Group (CFUG) in Geta-3, Kailali. Alkaiya adds, "Previously we used to consume six to seven bhari of fuelwood per month (1 bhari is around 30 kg). Now, we need only three bhari and biogas is sufficient for cooking food for our family of 11, including four children." She owns two cattles, one buffalo and a biogas attached toilet for the supply of gas.

In February 2009, Western Terai Landscape Complex Project (WTLCP) provided a sum of five thousand rupees each to 13 households in Geta VDC to attach their toilets to biogas plant. Alkaiya is one them. The CFUG members identified those 13 households based on their demand, need and capability. To date, WTCLP has supported 217 households for biogas attached toilets along Mohana corridor in Dhangadhi municipality, Geta and Malakheti VDCs. WTLCP chanelised all supports to the communities through Mohana Kailali Community Forest Coordination Committee, Dhangadhi.

Biogas improves the environment in the homesteads. It reduces the flow of smoke in the kitchen and homestead improving the health of family member, particular the women who cook food. It lessens work burden to women to clear black dust in the cooking put. "Biogas reduces women's workload in other forms as well because women most often collect fuelwood from the forest", says Laxmi Joshi, the former Treasurer of Chetana Women CFUG. Women in that community spend two to three hours a day to collect fuelwood from Laljhadi forest in Kanchanpur. Women can take care of themselves and spare their saved time from reduced collection of fuelwood with their family members in their kitchen yards and homesteads.

On the whole, biogas is environmentally friendly, economically profitable and socially acceptable. It is effective to reduce the consumption of fuelwood. Attaching toilet to the biogas plan augments the supply of gas. Biogas has been an effective means to reduce women's drudgery. The increasing awareness of people and desire to install biogas attached toilet reveals that they are sensitive towards biodiversity conservation and improving livelihoods. The knowledge on appropriately preparing slurry and using the biogas will be an advantage to maximise the benefit from biogas.