Thousands
of women in our country are involved in minor forest produce collection.
This is their only livelihood. They care for the forests as if
it were their own as the forests give them sustenance. In addition,
many women are involved in greening our parched land through raising
nurseries, saplings and plantations. It is also an important source
of employment for village women, who sell both the saplings they
raise and the produce from their nurseries. And yet, women have
not received the support and technical guidance they need for
this ecoregeneration – cum – employment creation. They
are the first to be affected by drought and increasing environmental
degradation. On the other hand, the forest department raises its
own nurseries with government support, often undercutting local
people’s especially women’s own efforts. Hence our members
have launched their campaign to " Feminise Our Forests".
This
year forest and nursery workers had a meeting with the Honourable
Forest Minister of Gujarat State who acknowledged the contribution
and experience of women with regard to forests and nurseries.
Workers have also had several meetings with forest department
officials. But changes in policy and their implementation are
still to be seen.
Forest
and Nursery Workers Strongly Recommend the Following
:
- The
Forest Department should hand over its nursery –
raising projects to local women in winter rather than
summer, so that planting an nursery – raising
can be done at the appropriate time and in suitable
manner.
- The
Forest department should recognize that it takes about
three years for a worker to raise saplings in a scientific
and technically sound manner.
- Local
village–based organisations should be involved
in nursery– aising for proper eco–regeneration
and employment in rural areas.
- Gum
collectors and other minor forest produce collectors
should be permitted to sell their produce on the open
market so as to obtain the best price.
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In
March 1999 at a ‘sammelan’ women forcefully argued for
the handing over of nurseries to women. They presented their experiences
to the Chief Minister of Gujarat who was impressed by their hard
work and leadership in both greening the state and generating
employment. He agreed to hand over nursery-raising to village
women.
As a result, in
Anand and Bayad talukas of Kheda and sabarkantha districts respectively,
women are raising 10 lakh saplings. Even in drought affected Santapur
taluka of Banaskantha district, women are raising 3 lakh saplings.
In this way, women have shown that nurseries generate employment
and regenerate the environment. Through nursery-raising, women
obtained regular income and did not have to migrate in search
of work with their families.
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