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Gender and Multiple Uses of Water

Charity KabuthaMultiple Uses Discussion Forum

Winrock International

April 2006

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Discussions

Context: roles of men and women in agriculture and water systems

Assessing potential gender impacts of multiple water uses

Process of engendering multiple water uses strategy

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Roles of men and women in African agriculture and water management

In Africa, men and women contribute to food production and water management, but at varying degrees

Women’s role:• 90 percent of processing food crops, providing household

water and fuel wood• 80 percent of the work of food storage and transport from

farm to village• 90 percent of the work of hoeing and weeding• 60 percent of the work of harvesting and marketing

Both men and women significant stakeholders Introduction of multiple uses of water will of necessity

change current patterns

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A Gender Perspective in multiple water uses

Questions to ask in anticipation of change:• What change will occur?• What aspects will be affected?• Who will be affected by the change and

how?• Who will gain, where?• Who will lose, where?• What needs to be done to moderate the

negative changes?

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Multiple water uses: where change could occur

Labor (time, intensity, efficiency)

Changed roles-men usually take over commercial enterprises

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Multiple water uses: where change could occur

Access-rights, financial

Benefit levels-incomes-forgone, new opportunities

Decision-making-labor, income etc

Other impacts-girls’ education

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Process for mainstreaming gender

Policy-level: Develop a gender water strategy

Management: Institutional capacity building-main implementing agencies

Development and Design Social analysis-on all aspects of a program

• Who is affected and whose needs are we addressing?• How are those affected involved? Design, implementation etc• Are the program strategies appropriate to all stakeholders? where do

we do it, when do we do it, what technologies do we use, whose choice etc?

• How do we capture change-for those currently affected and those not affected?

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Process for mainstreaming gender

Implementation –local level Capacities Representation of men and women• Empowerment of women to input in

important decisions

Monitoring systems: Gender-based outcomes and indicators Who measures and how?