Rural Women Participation in Forest Management

Abstract

Rural women lack in education, information, knowledge, etc. but still play a crucial role in Forest Management. They regularly visit the forest to collect wood and food to feed their families, apart from their household work, looking after their children and earn an income from agriculture or forest sources. So it is necessary to involve the rural women in the Joint Forest Management (JFM) as live members and make them responsible and train them. The Forest Policy of 1988 envisaged women participation in the protection of forest. The Ministry of Environment and Forest constituted an Advisory Committee to promote the involvement of women in the forest sector. According to the Committee Report the factors affecting the participation of rural women in JFM program is mainly due to lack of information. Due to family responsibilities, social and cultural restrictions, lack of confidence, the women's participation is less and not considered. On the basis of analysis of the above data the researcher suggests that strategies need to be developed to increase rural women's participation in Forest Management in a right, systematic and in a rewarding way to bring about a change individually and to the society.