Social and Gender Analysis in Natural Resource Management: Learning Studies and Lessons from Asia

Asian Societies are not only complex but are also undergoing rapid change in the face of the forces of globalization and privatization. Issues of gender, class caste, ethnicity and age are central to understanding power relations and decision-making processes concerning the access to, use of and management of natural resources. This necessitates a sound understanding of social realities in order to ensure proper participation in, and the equitable distribution of the benefits of, development interventions and policies. Written in this framework, this volume documents and reflects on the steps being taken by researchers of natural resource management to implement social and gender analysis in South and Southeast Asia. Grounded in empirical reality, the six case studies drawn from India, Nepal, China, Viet Nam, and Mongolia:Reveal that natural resource management questions, whether addressed from micro or macro perspectives, are neither socially nor gender neutral; Offer "on-the-ground" examples of different methods to integrate social and gender analysis in research, outlining the enabling and constraining factors that impact on this effort; Represent initiatives by academic and non-academic organizations which are variously tackling biodiversity conservation, crop and livestock improvement, and sustainable grassland development; and Examine the experiences in capacity development in these diverse contexts. The volume concludes with a comparative analysis of the six cases. This analysis highlights the key common issues and challenges identified by the research teams. These include organizational change, mainstreaming social and gender issues, the enduring inequities facing women, and improving the quality of participation. Bringing together both learning experiences and scientific results from five Asian countries, this volume will be useful for students and professionals of rural development and natural resource management. The wide coverage of topics–from agri-marketing to social capital among women–also makes it of interest to scholars of rural sociology, agricultural economics and gender studies.