Access to, control of, decision making regarding productive resources
SWAGEN believes that Women’s rights to access, control and own productive resources individually are unequivocal. The organization mobilises grassroots women to challenge structural, institutional and socio–cultural barriers that hinder women from this pursuit. The main aim is for women to own not only the products of their labour but also to participate in meaningful decision making for their transformation in all three dimensions of development namely; social, economic and environmental transformation. It is necessary to breakout and from new institutions that shift the concerns of marginalized people, especially women, and the intersections of age (elderly, youth), ethnicity (indigenous peoples), and people living with disabilities, very often rights-holders to these natural resources anyway, from their marginal locations to the centre of the and all global, continental and national policy. SWAGEN advocates for rethinking Institutional rules, redistributing resources and changing the underlying incentive structure for gender justice.
In Uganda, over 80% of the population lives in the rural areas and over 90% depend on agriculture, with women contributing 70% of the total labour force but owning only 7% of the land (Human Development Report, 2007). Although they contribute the bulk of the labour in agricultural production, women are discriminated against and denied ownership of the land resources which is the core of the rural economy. This tendency is re–enforced by the cultural and traditional practices which only emphasize males as heirs for their parents and husbands’ property and deny the girls and married women a share of the property on which they live and work.
Climate Change adaptation and mitigation
Community Action to Conserve Rwoho Forest
With financial and technical support from UNDP/Global Environment Facility Small Grants Country Office SWAGEN implemented this project whose goal was to improve the livelihood of the forest – edge community. The community was experiencing alarming levels of poverty having been barred from utilising forest resources when the forest was gazetted. The organization in partnership with the forest dependent community performed the following activities:
- Created awareness of Climate Change, its effects on livelihoods and possible responses of communities through adaptation and mitigation activities
- Established forest resources on people’s own land e.g. planted trees, cultivated medicinal plants and put up apiaries with modern bee hives that do not require fire for harvesting
- Facilitated dialogue between the Community and National Forest Authority and eventual signing of a Collaborative Forest Management Agreement
This intervention has so far obtained the following results:
- Enhanced community participation in the governance of the natural forest resource
- Increase share of benefits of conservation from non-extractive, non-timber alternative sources of income e.g. sales of honey and processed herbal medicine
- Reduced incidences of fire in the forest
Capacity Building of women for environment conservation
The Global Green Grants provided us with funding to impart skills to women to construct fuel saving stoves, establish tree nurseries and process honey and medicinal herbs. The support also provided equipment. The organization in partnership with the women organized workshops and conducted hands-on training. This intervention has so far had the following results:
- 300 households use fuel efficient stoves
- 300 households have established a woodlot on their private land
- 300 households have a source of income from honey sales and herbal medicine sales.