Women are active users of forest resources throughout the western and northern regions of Sudan, though their specific activities differ according to local tradition, climate and system of land tenure. There have been many forestry-related programs in this area of the country since the period of severe drought during the mid-1980s.
The consultation was organized to assist the Forests National Corporation develop extension activities for women. It comprised a review of fifteen existing governmental and non-governmental projects, women's commercial activities involving forestry by-products, and educational programs for women forestry and extension students. The consultation took place in the Western, Northern and Khartoum States, and was divided into two segments from 3 - 22 December 1994 and 9 - 25 March 1995.
Among the different projects reviewed, most attention has been paid to schemes which encourage women to plant trees next to their homes, in their children's schools, around their villages, and interspersed with or as fencing around their family farms. The next priority have been programs to reduce fuel consumption in household food preparation through the use of improved wood and charcoal stoves. A survey of programs which train women in forestry and extension techniques, and prepare the agents working in the field completed the background for the review.
Conclusions from the analysis of successful strategies to reach out to and integrate women into forestry development center on the structure and context of the program. Criteria of access and sustainability were used for a rapid assessment. Those programs providing the widest access and most cost-effective practice occur:
a) When natural resource protection and preservation objectives are directly tied to income generation
b) When women have input into the design and process and when they control outcome
c) When extension agents have frequent contact and good rapport with the community and a strong commitment to community development
d) When access to new opportunities is supported by training and organizational assistance.
Women's participation as foresters in forestry programs is at present strongest in the field of extension. The central recommendations to develop future potential that resulted from the review include:
1. Tie the issue of sustainability closely into project design. Forestry extension for women should be oriented around income generation from tree product-related activity. Making these connections is vital for the sound management of Sudan's natural resource base.
2. Conduct a detailed market study of income generation from women's forestry-related activities to assess the range and potential. This will compliment the studies of consumption of wood products, forest and range inventory, and forestry management plans that the FNC has been developing.
3. Rethink the whole approach to improved stove dissemination which presently involves women only in the implementation phase. Strengthen the elements of 'social marketing' that have produced dramatic results throughout Africa in motivating behavior modification. Utilize techniques from marketing research for analysis of consumer needs and preferences, industry capability, market segmentation, and product differentiation.
