Drylands and women: The case study of Burkina Faso

Drylands are at risk and pose a threat to food security, water security and the survival of people.  For rural women, whose responsibilities and roles vary to men, these threats are much greater. Policies and programmes which aim to mitigate the effects of climate change on drylands often omit women's need and contribution to management of dryland resources. This blog will discuss a particular case study that actually succeeded in empowering women at the local level in the context of drylands. 

Women walking on drylands


What are drylands?

Drylands are particularly difficult to live in due to aridity and variability in rainfall. These erratic patterns of rainfall are exacerbated by climate change, making it even more challenging to live, often associated with increased mortality. This is why efficient water storage and use are key to surviving in drylands. These areas, despite their harsh realities, still can and continue to sustain people. It is the way that people have adapted to living in these areas that make them habitable. This is however, rather demanding and requires lots of knowledge about seasonality, agriculture and water that come from experience of living there.

Drylands and poverty are linked, often due to a lack of social services and respect of human rights in these areas. For example, adult female literacy rates in West Africa are around 50% in humid areas but drop to 5% in the arid and semi-arid zones. As discussed in previous blogs, we know that women possess crucial knowledge of water use and management due to norms and their roles and responsibilities. Therefore, water governance in drylands must include women's voices. They must be at the core of projects and programmes and not an addition or after thought. During times of drought, agriculture is more difficult and men and women must look at other ways to generate income. 

Map showing mean annual rainfall in West Africa, between 1981-2014
 

The Context 

Burkina Faso is an arid, Sahelian country, which like other Sahelian countries, its climate has proven a barrier to development. Because of this, the country struggles with poverty where 46% of the country is below the poverty line, The national economy largely relies on agriculture yet the majority of the population are actually subsistence farmers, most often growing cereals for self-consumption. Because Burkina Faso is vulnerable to changes in climate, this can be attributed to low levels of development due to the high reliance on natural resources like water, which are climate variable. Women are most dependent on resources for physical and economical sustenance, in order to feed their families and obtain income. Yet the narrative repeats itself- they have limited control over resources such as water or land and rarely participate in management and governance. Women take care of household duties as well as the bulk of men's activities like farming, yet all power remains in the hands of men. 

The Project 

A Horticulture project by Christian Aid and RMARP in the province of Zondoma aimed to provide an alternative way of sustenance for women during long periods of drought for sustainable rural development. Women have their own plot in a one hectare garden, where they can grow their own produce and retain their profits. Some of the money goes towards the organisation to buy seeds, manure and other agricultural necessities. The project has been successful in impacting the position of women in their communities and households- a major move towards empowerment of women. This allows them to have more say in decision making at the household level and more importantly, enables women to have collective land ownership through the plots. Despite the entire land being owned by a man, this project has altered the social acceptance of women as financially productive, rebalancing power relations and improving their social position in rural areas. 

This project shows that change is possible but must enable and empower women in order to sustain their development. Water management is core in drylands areas to ensure a safe and good quality of life, therefore projects must incorporate the role that women play in management. The project generated a sense of ownership for the women- a crucial step of successful participatory development. 



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