1. In your view, what is the relation between sustainable soil use, management and conservation (including soil fertility and health) and gender equality?
Unequal access to land, market and agriculture services to the different community members how has benefit from the farms it will directly effects their farm managements. Women in Sudan especially in the west of the country do most of the work in Agriculture; however, they don’t own the land. They cultivate small farm efficiently near the village or in the house. Providing access to land to women will aid them to accept new conservation package
2. What are the distinct roles for women, men, boys and girls in sustainable soil management?
Their roles will be defined according to their contribution in the livelihood income for the household. They complete each other’s women are look after the family doing cooking, cleaning, raising kids and as labor on the farm. Women could contribute in soil sustainability if they trained to increase the added value form the family waste. The residue from the food can be used as organic amendments to the soil if they now how compost it. Men, their role is to cultivate the land and sale the product and all the decisions relating to the farm managements are taken by them. Boys and girls go to school or stay to participate on the household income by different means according to the family financial status. Boys and girls can contribute and help the family in their spare time by engaging in small income work activity especially if they were closed to the city. Extra income beside the farm income will decrease the over use of the land and help to be sustained.
3. What are the main gender-based constraints, including unequal gender relations and discriminatory norms that hinder sustainable soil management and contribute to soil degradation? What practical solutions and approaches could help overcoming such barriers?
The main constraints according to my experience are culture and the land production relationship. Where, at the western part of Sudan all the hard work on the farm, are taken by women while men are sale the product and take all the decision regarding the farm activities. At the northern and middle part the situation is completely different, women are not allowed to participate on farm activity is considered as men job. At Gezira scheme in Sudan farmers settlement is one of constrain where, some women refused to move to the farms where their husband and prefer to stay at the village. Due to these situation farmers will not be able to follow up their farms perfectly and some time they abounded it. Regarding the land production relationship, women are cultivating the farm but she has no rights all complete authority to sale the product husband will do that and even take all the decisions related to the farm activities. Men will receive all the services as the owner of the land but this will not grantee that he will use it at his farm.
The practical solutions and approaches which could help to overcome such barriers in my view are:
- Increase the women awareness by their rights and help them to have their own income.
- Help women to have their own groups such as societies to find means for product sales
- Training workshop for the farmers in waste management it will help them to get an added value from their waste especially food waste.
- Provide agricultural service to how cultivated the land; in case of the women who cultivated the land insure that she receive such services.
- Increase the extension services and pay more attention to the small farmer. By providing appropriate agricultural package.
- Encourage land owner to invest his land in sustainable manner
- Create other source of incomes for women other than agriculture such as crafting and traditional foods making.
5. How can the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment contribute to sustainable soil management and conservation? Which interventions at policy and project/field level are of utmost priority? What are some potential entry points for success?
The most important parameter is improving land tenure system to allow women own the land.
Although women do most of the activity in agriculture in the Western part of Sudan, marketing of the product is man Job. Therefore allow women to market her product will give her economical stability
Women need to have access to bank to get loan (without economical independence she can’t get fund from banks. (She has nothing as guarantee)
Sahar Babiker Ahmed Abdalla