Gender analysis in land management and conservation : a case study from central Vietnam | |
| Author | Tran Thi Hai |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.RD-03-07 |
| Subject(s) | Land use--Management--Vietnam Women in agriculture--Vietnam Women in conservation of natural resources--Vietnam |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | This study was conducted to understand the gender significance in land management and conservation. The ways in which farmers use and manage the land are among the key factors determining land qualities. Those ways are influenced by farmers' needs, priorities, awareness and perceptions regarding land conservation, land degradation and its consequences. Farmers' knowledge and perception development is founded on the activities they are involved in, their degree of involvement in such activities; their education level, and exposure to training and extension services. Hanh Tin Tay Commune of Nghia Hanh district in Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam was chosen as the study area. This is a both-exploratory-and-explanatory research. It presents a descriptive approach to identifying existing land use and management. Besides studying aspects related to land management of male and female farmers, the research also focuses on analysing those among women only. Women of different categories such as ages, economic status, and education levels were studied to understand the differences in their roles, duties and perceptions. Land management activities differ according to land types, soil fertility, land productivity and other associated factors. Farming practices vary not only between men and women, but also among each sex. It was found that there were a slight difference in the activities between women of different economic status, but more obvious among women with different education levels and age group. As there are increasing percentage of girls sent to school, their involvement in land management activities has been reduced. As a result, percentage of female who are involved in land management at the age of 18 to 55 years is higher than that of under 18 years. They had gained sound knowledge on various aspects of land management and conservation due to the type of work and the extent of involvement in such activities. In general, it was found that there were comparable awareness, priorities and perceptions of land management and conservation, between men and women and among different categories of women. The insights of older women in land management are largely founded on their long experience of working in the field. The younger women, who are often higher educated, presented their judgment according to the knowledge they had gained at school, and from other sources as they could comprehend relevant messages more easily and quickly. No distinct differences were found according to economic status but wealthier women appeared to be more aware of various aspects of soil conservation. The perceptions and knowledge of women are also influenced by their exposure to training and extension services, the location of their villages and their degree of involvement in land management activities. Training and extension services should be made equitable to women of different status and also to those living in remote areas, and during the time suitable for women. The practical knowledge of older women, complemented with the scientific knowledge of the younger, educated women can help conserve and improve the land and its productivity. |
| Year | 2003 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Rural Development, Gender and Resources (RD) |
| Chairperson(s) | Wickramanayake, B.W.E. |
| Examination Committee(s) | Earth, Barbara;Zoebisch, Michael Albert |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA) |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2003 |