Gender mainstreaming: a new paradigm for sustainable environmental management in Ghana

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Periodical article

Title:	Gender mainstreaming: a new paradigm for sustainable environmental management in Ghana
Author:	Quan-Baffour, Kofi Poku
Year:	2008
Periodical:	Africanus
Volume:	38
Issue:	1
Pages:	54-63
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Ghana
Subjects:	rural women environmental management
Abstract:	Women in rural areas in Ghana interact regularly with the physical environment - land, soil, forests, trees and rivers. They cultivate the land to produce food to feed their families, cut trees to build barns and houses, collect wood for warming their homes and fetch water for agriculture and domestic use. Although these activities cause degradation and pollution, women engage in them for their livelihood and survival. Despite these frequent encounters with the natural resources that provide them with intimate knowledge of the environment, women are not involved in decisions pertaining to its management. In view of their intimate knowledge of the environment, the author advocates for their empowerment and involvement in environmental management for the achievement of sustainable development. To achieve this, rural women must be equipped with knowledge, skills and opportunities to participate in the formulation and implementation of policies relating to the judicious use of natural resources. Bibliogr., sum. [Journal abstract]