Women, Conservation and Agriculture. A manual for Trainers

Abstract

As a group, rural women are at particular risk from the effects of deteriorating environmental conditions. Their livelihoods and responsibilities make them more dependent than men on the local natural resources. The constraints and pressures which they face leave them more vulnerable to lack of water, declining crop yields etc. Yet they are still neglected by many outsiders, including government development planners, who tend to regard rural women as an irrelevant group. As an integral part of both the problems and the challenges of environmental degradation, women must be treated as a central group, not left out of the action.