The deforestation in Nepal is upsetting the delicate ecological balance and effecting the lives of many of the people, especially the hill women, who use these resources in their household. The deforestation increases erosion, causing landslides, and raises the silt in rivers, changing their course and flooding the southern plains. The majority of Nepal's population is rural and they depend on agriculture for their livelihood. It is estimated that 95% of the wood taken in deforestation is used for fuel primarily used in cooking. The farmers developed a complicated system of land preparation and terracing, but this has not stopped erosion on the steeper slopes. Since women are the ones who get the wood for fuel and other products they must become an integral part of any conservation plan. With the Nationalization Act of 1957, the forest land became the property of the government and therefore managed under the Ministry of Forests through the department officers. Later legislation involved the communities in replanting and longterm care and transfer of tracts for protection and management. In addition nurseries were created for seedlings and the improved wood burning stoves were distributed. Women were not initially involved in these programs because of their traditional role, but through training programs involving local communities, the importance of women in forestry conservation was recognized. Women were first employed in nursery labor and then as supervisors and now more are involved in project activities and forestry staff. They have been most helpful in training others in using the new fuel-efficient stoves.
Too often when development planners or practitioners plan income-generating schemes for women they consider only handicrafts. While in some situations craft production may provide a secure source of income for women, in many cases it results in poor returns and proves more complicated an undertaking than expected. The Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) is one agency that has developed a successful program of non-craft employment opportunities for women. Some 10,000 poor women have been engaged by BRAC in viable economic schemes: 9,000 in non-craft production. This issue of SEEDS reviews BRAC's experience in developing non-craft employment opportunities and participatory associations for rural women.
The Working Women's Forum (WWF), established in Madras in 1978, has brought together over 13,000 poor urban women around the issue of credit. Most women who live in the slums of Madras work as small-scale traders and vendors, their earnings often providing over half the family income. Interviews with these women revealed that their primary concern was increasing their earning capacity. The WWF was set up to enable these women to obtain low interest loans to expand their businesses. The key element in the WWF structure is the neighborhood loan group, comprised of 10-20 women from the same area who act as mutual guarantors for the loans of all group members. Over 7000 women have received loans and the repayment rate has been over 90%. About 2800 new jobs or businesses have been created, and earnings have increased an average of 50% in existing enterprises. Women report that they are eating better quality and more varied foods as a result of their increased income. The WWF is expanding its activities to address the political and social problems of working women as well. The Forum operates day care centers, skills training centers, and remedial classes for schoolchildren. In 1980 the WWF launched a family planning program in which field workers (who are drawn from the WWF membership and paid $18 per month) disseminate information on health, nutrition, and family planning to families in their communities. According to a staff member, this program was an outcome of the realization that "income generation and large families do not go together." The WWF also promotes intercaste, no dowry marriages and lobbies for public services. Women have become more confident of the possibility of gaining control over their lives, including their fertility. The WWF experience demonstrates that an organization does not need a lot of money, educated staff, or technical expertise to reach poor women. The Forum's success is attributed to its selection of one critical issue, utilization of local leadership, organization of women around existing neighborhood ties, and decentralized management.
This issue of SEEDS reviews handicrafts as a means of providing income to women. In some instances, crafts are a solid source of income and can also provide women with a link to their own cultural heritage. In most instances, however, crafts production concentrates women in an area that is labor intensive and exploitative, providing a meager income for long hours of work. Handicrafts can be a means of increasing income for women in some settings, but only under the conditions outlined in this report, since crafts are specialized activities which have limited markets and offer limited potential as a means of employment. The report summarizes a few of the key issues that must be addressed when considering a handicrafts program for women.
