Gender and Irrigation Julius Nyerere International

Convention Centre Dar es Salaam.21st,July,2016.

1

Small scale irrigation, Gender and Challenges of uptake

Tatu Mnimbo and Henry Mahoo Sokoine University of Agriculture,

Morogoro

2

Outline of the presentation

• Introduction on small scale irrigation in Tanzania

• Why consider gender in water and Irrigation issues

• Methodology used to collect gender data.

• Challenges of uptake• Conclusion and recommendations.

3

4

Introduction

5

• Many high-level policy forums in sub-Saharan Africa, including the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW), have adopted gender equality as their main goal (AMCOW 2011).

• National constitutions, African gender protocols and United Nations agreements, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms ofDiscrimination against Women (CEDAW)

6

Introduction cont..• Although international policymakers are increasingly recognizing

women’s roles in irrigated agriculture,many women farmers remain poor, vulnerable to food insecurity and marginalized.

• reasons for this ranges from lack of understanding of gender issues by policy makers, lack of will and commitment at the project design and implementation phases, lack of use of relevant tools, unavailability of gender- disaggregated data, and prevailing cultural norms in the societies.

7

Why include gender in water/irrigation Issues

• There are significant gender differences in use, access and management of water.

• It helps to explain why some cultures, societies or communities are more successful than others to manage water.

• gender discrimination limits the women’s and men’s chances to access vital water resources, by placing restriction in their autonomy. Attitudes such as, “Women should – or should not – do this and that”.

8

Methodology used to collect gender data

• Sex-dissegrated information/data collection• Activities performed should be

measured/analysed through individual householdmember(Adoption,perfomance/hours spent).

• Collection of intra-household dynamics)• Use of gendered tools and theories.

Classification of irrigation schemes

• In Tanzania, there is no formal classification of irrigation schemes,

• But the informal and accepted categorization that is currently used divides schemes into 3 categories:

(i) small-scale irrigation (0–200 ha), (ii) medium-scale irrigation (200–500 ha),

(iii) large-scale irrigation (>500 ha). 9

HEADWORKS for a typical Traditional irrigation scheme

10

MAIN CANAL for a typical Traditional irrigation scheme

11

Improved Headworks of the Msemembo irrigation scheme, Singida

Lined canals in the Msemembo irrigation scheme, Singida

Improved traditional irrigation 12

Spate water harvesting-Makanya village - SAME

13

Spate water harvesting-Makanya village 14

MAJALUBA RWH-SHINYANGA

WOMENT AT WORK IN A JALUBAWater harvesting based irrigation 15

Modern irrigation schemes16

Gender challenges in irrigation uptake

Access and ownership of resourcesi) Women may not benefit from irrigation

technologies due to their poor access to ownership of land and finance.

ii) Land ownership-Farmers who own their land may benefit more from these technologies than those who do not.

17

Challenges cont…………iii) Intra-household dynamics Bargaining power - Due to this factor, Irrigation

technologies may be used to irrigate men’s plots and crops at the expense of women’s plots

Decision Making – who decides in the household? Affordabilityiv) The development and dissemination of irrigation

technologies Some irrigation technologies are not gender sensitive-

e.g. Pumps for irrigation that are too heavy for women to lift/transport from home to the fields

18

Addressing the challenges: possible solutions

• Direct targeting technologies that are user friendly • Kitchen-garden, as a participatory technology

development for women farmers.• Address land ownership and empower the less

advantaged to own land• Provide subsidies to the less advantaged• Recognition that development policies impact

female and male differently there is need to ensure that the needs of all groups in the society are taken on board during policy development, implementation

19

20

Possible solutions cont…• Sensitization at village level(community) on

gender issues through farmer seminars, village meetings,film shows and dramas(main messages being on women social-economic rights).

• Involving women in new irrigation technologies(from design to implementation).

21

Kitchen /Pocket gardening

22

conclusion» Gender-based farming systems where men and women cultivate separate fields

are common in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. » (This reality has often been ignored in irrigation development projects and led to

gender inequity in access to productive resources. It has also resulted in the partial or total failure of irrigation schemes).

» While men prefer to use water to irrigate cash crops or livestock, most women prefer to use water to grow staple crops, food crops, vegetables, and kitchen gardens or for domestic use (drinking, washing).

» If irrigation projects are to address the concerns of both women and men, there is a need to play an active role in local water management in recognizing the multiple uses of water in and around households.

23

conclusion

• Women, like men, have clear opinions about how an irrigation system should be operated.

• women may have different preferences for irrigation operations and the scheduling of water deliveries.

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING

24

23

IF NOT “ENGENDERED” IT IS “ENDANGERED”

25