An analysis of culture and gender in resource access, utilisation and management in community and forest reserves in Ntchisi District, Malawi

Abstract

Culture and gender play a significant role in access, utilisation and management of natural resources. Most social-cultural norms in developing countries prevent women from accessing natural resources, as well as control and ownership rights and restrict their participation in the decision-making process. However, there is paucity of information in Malawi concerning the linkages among women, the social norms and cultural practices in forest resource utilisation and governance in the rural setting. Also, the lack of tenure rights affects women’s access to forest resources and income-generating opportunities. Closing the existing gender gap and reducing constraints faced by women in accessing basic forest services have the potential to improve household productivity. This study was therefore designed to assess gender roles and culture in forest resource access, utilisation and management within the community forest (CFs) and government forest reserve (GFR) in Ntchisi District, Malawi. Forest users living close to the forest were targeted for the study. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative approaches to obtain relevant data from the respondents. Primary data were collected through the administration of a structured questionnaire and supplemented with observations, interviews with key informants and focus group discussions. The results showed that majority of respondents relied on the forest for their livelihood. However, 59.1% of males in GFR and 93.5% of women in CFs indicated that there was unequal access to forest resources by women. Additionally, 77.6% and 93.4% of respondents in GFR and CFs, respectively showed that there was willingness of communities to participate in forest conservation activities across the different gender groups. Over 50% of respondents reported that village natural resources management committees (VNRMCs) contributed effectively to forest management. Also, cultural practices such as Gule Wamkulu cult was found to enhance sustainable forest conservation practices through preservation of their initiation sites among others. Thus, 77.2 % of respondents in GFR and 75.4% in CFs recognised chiefs as the primary custodians of culture. Despite the benefits associated with cultural practices, the study showed that there was prejudice against women such that; they were not commensurately rewarded and were under represented in executive committees. In conclusion, while the results indicated that there is active participation of women in forest activities, evidence in the field indicated that women are marginalized and therefore not contributing substantially towards forest resource use and management. The study recommends that gender-mainstreaming programs should adequately address social-cultural norms in forest resource access, control and utilisation. Furthermore, the positive valuable contribution of cultural practices such as Gule Wamkulu cult should be well documented as best practices for enhancing natural resources management in Malawi.