Gender mainstreaming and community participation in plant resource conservation in Buzaya county, Kamuli district, Uganda

Abstract

The distribution of property rights to land and natural resources underlies the differential control of men and women over productive resources. This article investigates the role played by women in conservation of plant resources in Kamuli district, Uganda. Using a stratified random sampling technique, 60 tree farmers from Bugulumbya, Kasambira and Nawandhyo parish were interviewed. The findings revealed that women tree farmers were constrained by insecure tenure to tree resource, inequitable benefit sharing, male dominance in decision-making, low education and lack of planting materials. The extension media use varied according to gender. These findings have important policy implications in that for effective tree resource conservation, the information targeting rural women in Uganda should be in their native languages. Local programmes should be integrated into tree resource management programmes for the benefit of the grassroot populations, many of whom have low education levels.