Themes
Legal, Political and Human Rights
Culture and Indigenous Knowledge
Health and Well-being
Entrepreneurship
You need them. They become the faithful guardians of your life.
If you cannot dwell on their lofty heights all your life
Then if you are in trouble, you want at least to look at them.
- Maria Augusta Trapp, Story of the Trapp Family, 1949
1. Natural Resources and Environment
Women are the primary resource managers in many mountain regions. In recent years, environmental degradation, poor resource management and increased migration of men to the plains have added to the already high rate of food insecurity and workload of women in the remote mountainous regions of the world. Additionally, non-local interests/extractive industries invest in mountain resources without always investing some profits locally. This has devastating effects on women, as they are most dependent on common property resources. And in most parts of the South, women don't have rights to the land they work. Often, decisions made about land take place without any input from the women, who have an intimate knowledge, relationship and vested interest in the land and environment around them.
Natural Resource Management is essential, as with increasing population, rising deforestation, natural resources have been depleted. Besides having to walk further to collect fuel, fodder and food, women bear the brunt of these adverse circumstances, and are left to cope with the increased difficulties of the day-to-day survival of their families and their communities.
Natural resource management and conservation of the environment have to be integral part of any development plan, with women who are primary care takers of nature part of planning and implementation of such a plan.
Themes to be highlighted at CMW:
In most patriarchal societies, women do not enjoy the same legal, political and human rights as men, and subsequently lag behind in education, health and Public participation. In most mountain societies, women are the primary caretakers of the land; yet do not have the right to own the very land that they work on. At the same time, women in the mountain areas have little knowledge of their rights, and enormous demands on their time, making it difficult for them to be involved in the public sphere and in the decision-making process. Therefore, women's voices and concerns are not incorporated into the programs and policies that impact their lives and their environment.
For sustainable mountain development, women's access to common property resources have to be enhanced and en-gendering of policies and programs to ensure women's leadership. For this, it is essential for women to enjoy the same legal, political and human rights as men, and for women's work to be recognized as an important contribution to the mountain and national economy.
Revolutionary changes can be attained if women can enjoy social justice and have access to resources.
Some of the themes to be highlighted are:
Till recently, development policies and programs had largely ignored the rich culture and the indigenous knowledge base of mountain people. Development paradigms had initially focused on modernization and mainstreaming people into development, rather than encouraging their diversity and uniqueness. In a changing world, the mores and traditions of mountain people have evolved too. Their rich tradition of oral history, songs, myths and legends is being lost. Many young people in these communities want different lives, which often means migration out of the community. While some attempts have been made to capture the lives of mountain people, much more can be done.
Knowledge gaps exist in terms of data relating to mountain people's ways of life and mountain resources such as medicinal plants, as well as a critical examination of the historicity of cultures and their relevance to contemporary times.
There is and can be increased and deliberate activity to generate market for women's products that use cultural and indigenous knowledge of mountain people. This will help mountain women and communities see themselves as vehicles of change rather than requiring outside assistance.
4. Health and Well-being
Mountain people, form a start have a major disadvantage in access to primary health care due to the their remote locations. In addition to this, other factors also contribute to the poor health of mountain people, and women. The various life choices and activities of men - such as migration, involvement in armed conflict among others, have added to women's already heavy responsibilities in managing farms and households. This affects their health and well being, which is already under stress due to excessive and early child rearing, as well as mal-nutrition. Women are more vulnerable to illness because of their inherent socio-economic status in society.
Given the increasing migration of males of these remote villages to the city centers, there is also a growing risk and cases of sexually transmitted diseases. Men often return from outside with these diseases and pass them on to their wives. Many women are unaware of these diseases. This increases the risks of transmission. Bold steps are needed to redress this current trend. Improving women's health and well-being would mean taking a hard and creative look at women's workload, as well as provision of information about HIV/ STDs.
Best practices that could be highlighted include:
Mountain women are also involved in entrepreneurship -- in small-scale businesses related to arts, crafts and food products. Such activities help in human resource development, build local capacity, and contribute significantly to revenue generation in the community.
How can factors such as credit, regulations and policies be created in a way so as to encourage women capacity to engage in entrepreneurship and contribute to the economic well being of their families and societies? Are there ways that private entrepreneurs and mountain women can come together and develop businesses together?
Themes to be highlighted are:
Back to the Celebrating Mountain Women home page
2. Legal, Political and Human Rights
3. Culture and Indigenous Knowledge
Research and discussions could focus on:
5. Entrepreneurship
