IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i13p7072-d580801.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Using Participatory Approaches to Enhance Women’s Engagement in Natural Resource Management in Northern Ghana

Author

Listed:
  • Peter Cronkleton

    (Sustainable Landscapes and Livelihoods Team, Center for International Forestry Research, Jalan CIFOR, Situ Gede, Bogor Barat 16115, Indonesia)

  • Kristen Evans

    (Sustainable Landscapes and Livelihoods Team, Center for International Forestry Research, Jalan CIFOR, Situ Gede, Bogor Barat 16115, Indonesia)

  • Thomas Addoah

    (Sustainable Landscapes and Livelihoods Team, Center for International Forestry Research, Jalan CIFOR, Situ Gede, Bogor Barat 16115, Indonesia)

  • Emilie Smith Dumont

    (Resilient Livelihood Systems Team, World Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi 00100, Kenya)

  • Mathurin Zida

    (Sustainable Landscapes and Livelihoods Team, Center for International Forestry Research, Jalan CIFOR, Situ Gede, Bogor Barat 16115, Indonesia)

  • Houria Djoudi

    (Sustainable Landscapes and Livelihoods Team, Center for International Forestry Research, Jalan CIFOR, Situ Gede, Bogor Barat 16115, Indonesia)

Abstract

From 2016–2019, the West African Forest-Farm Interface (WAFFI) project engaged with smallholder farmers in northern Ghana to explore mechanisms to improve the influence of under-represented peoples, particularly women, in decision-making processes and platforms that affect their access to natural resources. Through a multi-phase process of participatory activities, including auto-appraisal, participatory action research (PAR) and facilitated knowledge exchange, villagers and researchers worked together to document and develop a better understanding of the challenges and changes facing women and men in the region to generate social learning. Among these challenges, the degradation of forest resources due to over exploitation, weak governance and conflict of use over shea trees ( Vitellaria paradoxa ) were particularly important for women. The WAFFI approach created a scaffold for social learning that strengthened the capacity of local stakeholders to share their perspectives and opinions more effectively in multi-stakeholder forums and dialogue related to resource use and land use change initiatives.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter Cronkleton & Kristen Evans & Thomas Addoah & Emilie Smith Dumont & Mathurin Zida & Houria Djoudi, 2021. "Using Participatory Approaches to Enhance Women’s Engagement in Natural Resource Management in Northern Ghana," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-20, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:13:p:7072-:d:580801
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/13/7072/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/13/7072/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cheryl R. Doss & Michael L. Morris, 2000. "How does gender affect the adoption of agricultural innovations?," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 25(1), pages 27-39, June.
    2. Kwabena Asiama & Monica Lengoiboni & Paul Van der Molen, 2017. "In the Land of the Dammed: Assessing Governance in Resettlement of Ghana’s Bui Dam Project," Land, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-24, November.
    3. Marleen Maarleveld & Constant Dabgbégnon, 1999. "Managing natural resources: A social learning perspective," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 16(3), pages 267-280, September.
    4. Sarmiento Barletti, Juan Pablo & Larson, Anne M. & Hewlett, Christopher & Delgado, Deborah, 2020. "Designing for engagement: A Realist Synthesis Review of how context affects the outcomes of multi-stakeholder forums on land use and/or land-use change," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    5. Cynthia McDougall & Cees Leeuwis & Tara Bhattarai & Manik Maharjan & Janice Jiggins, 2013. "Engaging women and the poor: adaptive collaborative governance of community forests in Nepal," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 30(4), pages 569-585, December.
    6. Yokying, Phanwin & Lambrecht, Isabel, 2020. "Landownership and the gender gap in agriculture: Insights from northern Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    7. Kansanga, Moses & Andersen, Peter & Atuoye, Kilian & Mason-Renton, Sarah, 2018. "Contested commons: Agricultural modernization, tenure ambiguities and intra-familial land grabbing in Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 215-224.
    8. Agarwal, Bina, 2001. "Participatory Exclusions, Community Forestry, and Gender: An Analysis for South Asia and a Conceptual Framework," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 29(10), pages 1623-1648, October.
    9. Peschl, Markus F., 2006. "Triple-loop learning as foundation for profound change, individual cultivation, and radical innovation: Construction processes beyond scientific and rational knowledge," MPRA Paper 9940, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Nuggehalli, Roshni K. & Prokopy, Linda Stalker, 2009. "Motivating factors and facilitating conditions explaining women's participation in co-management of Sri Lankan forests," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 11(4), pages 288-293, July.
    11. Chambers, Robert, 1994. "The origins and practice of participatory rural appraisal," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 22(7), pages 953-969, July.
    12. German, Laura & Stroud, Ann, 2007. "A Framework for the Integration of Diverse Learning Approaches: Operationalizing Agricultural Research and Development (R&D) Linkages in Eastern Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 792-814, May.
    13. Nathan J. Cook & Tara Grillos & Krister P. Andersson, 2019. "Gender quotas increase the equality and effectiveness of climate policy interventions," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 9(4), pages 330-334, April.
    14. Agarwal, Bina, 2010. "Does Women's Proportional Strength Affect their Participation? Governing Local Forests in South Asia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 98-112, January.
    15. Yokying, Phanwin & Lambrecht, Isabel, 2019. "Landownership and the gender gap in agriculture: Disappointing insights from Northern Ghana," IFPRI discussion papers 1847, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Espada, Ana Luiza Violato & Kainer, Karen A., 2023. "Women and timber management: From assigned cook to strategic decision-maker of community land use," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    2. Das, Priyam, 2014. "Women’s Participation in Community-Level Water Governance in Urban India: The Gap Between Motivation and Ability," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 206-218.
    3. Sunderland, Terry & Achdiawan, Ramadhani & Angelsen, Arild & Babigumira, Ronnie & Ickowitz, Amy & Paumgarten, Fiona & Reyes-García, Victoria & Shively, Gerald, 2014. "Challenging Perceptions about Men, Women, and Forest Product Use: A Global Comparative Study," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 64(S1), pages 56-66.
    4. Hao, J., 2018. "Cooperative member commitment, trust and social pressure -- the role of members’ participation in the decision-making," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 275881, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    5. Catherine Ragasa & Cristina Alvarez-Mingote & Paul McNamara, 2024. "Bottom-Up Approaches and Decentralized Extension Structures for Improving Access to and Quality of Extension Services and Technology Adoption: Multi-level Analysis from Malawi," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 36(5), pages 1093-1146, October.
    6. Ezgi Canpolat & Meerim Shakirova & Vince McElhinny & Kame Westerman & Alli Cruz & Theresa Buppert, 2022. "Fostering Gender-Transformative Change in Sustainable Forest Management," World Bank Publications - Reports 37127, The World Bank Group.
    7. Federica Ravera & Victoria Reyes-García & Unai Pascual & Adam G. Drucker & David Tarrasón & Mauricio R. Bellon, 2019. "Gendered agrobiodiversity management and adaptation to climate change: differentiated strategies in two marginal rural areas of India," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 36(3), pages 455-474, September.
    8. Leder, S. & Shrestha, Gitta & Das, D., . "Transformative engagements with gender relations in agriculture and water governance," Papers published in Journals (Open Access), International Water Management Institute, pages 5(1):128-15.
    9. Freitas, Carolina T. & Espírito-Santo, Helder M.V. & Campos-Silva, João Vitor & Peres, Carlos A. & Lopes, Priscila F.M., 2020. "Resource co-management as a step towards gender equity in fisheries," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    10. Bhattarai, Basundhara & Beilin, Ruth & Ford, Rebecca, 2015. "Gender, Agrobiodiversity, and Climate Change: A Study of Adaptation Practices in the Nepal Himalayas," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 122-132.
    11. Grillos, Tara, 2018. "Women’s participation in environmental decision-making: Quasi-experimental evidence from northern Kenya," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 115-130.
    12. Ota, Liz & Lidestav, Gun & Andersson, Elias & Page, Tony & Curnow, Jayne & Nunes, Lilian & Goltiano, Henry & Gregorio, Nestor & dos Santos, Natalia Ferreira & Herbohn, John, 2024. "Reviewing gender roles, relations, and perspectives in small-scale and community forestry – implications for policy and practice," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    13. Morales, Margaret C. & Harris, Leila M., 2014. "Using Subjectivity and Emotion to Reconsider Participatory Natural Resource Management," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 703-712.
    14. Undp, 2011. "HDR 2011 - Sustainability and Equity: A Better Future for All," Human Development Report (1990 to present), Human Development Report Office (HDRO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), number hdr2011, September.
    15. Humphries, Sally & Classen, Lauren & Jiménez, José & Sierra, Fredy & Gallardo, Omar & Gómez, Marvin, 2012. "Opening Cracks for the Transgression of Social Boundaries: An Evaluation of the Gender Impacts of Farmer Research Teams in Honduras," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(10), pages 2078-2095.
    16. Begum, Flora & de Bruyn, Lisa Lobry & Kristiansen, Paul & Islam, Mohammad Amirul, 2023. "Development pathways for co-management in the Sundarban mangrove forest: A multiple stakeholder perspective," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    17. Kathleen Ragsdale & Mary R. Read-Wahidi & Qian M. Zhou & Kerry Clark & Mawuli A. K. Asigbee & Courtney Tamimie & Peter Goldsmith, 2022. "Low-cost soybean input bundles impact women farmers’ subsistence livelihood traps: evidence from Ghana," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(4), pages 1045-1062, August.
    18. Catherine Ragasa & Jennifer Golan, 2014. "The role of rural producer organizations for agricultural service provision in fragile states," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 45(5), pages 537-553, September.
    19. Dave, Radhika & Tompkins, Emma L. & Schreckenberg, Kate, 2017. "Forest ecosystem services derived by smallholder farmers in northwestern Madagascar: Storm hazard mitigation and participation in forest management," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 72-82.
    20. Panchali Guha, 2023. "School committee composition: Exploring the role of parental and female representation in India," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 41(3), May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:13:p:7072-:d:580801. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.