Key in the hand of women now

Writer:- Bikalpa Adhikari
First kill us and then only tree” was the last slogan of the successful and famous strike “chipko” initiated by the women of Kumau, Gadwall, Alkananda and surrounding area of Uttar Pradesh India. A lot of eff ort was made but due to unsuccessful movement to stop deforestation, local women were forced to stick to trees and say that slogan. Th is resulted in averting who came to cut tress by saying that we are here to cut trees not to kill human.

The main objective of the chipko strike was to conserve the forest by deforestation. Chipko strike was governed by the women to conserve land, forest and water. Meera bhain, Bimala bhain, Gora bhain are some of the names to remember as they played major role in the strike. Likewise, globally we can fi nd diff erent example of inspirational acts and strikes which have been driven by women. Now days in Kenya, we can hardly fi nd women who don’t know the importance of trees, and the villages which don’t have trees sapling nursery. And this is because of work of a single lady. Unmanaged forest clearance and rapid population growth resulted in starvation and drought in Kenya.

Within this circumstance “Green belt Movement” was initiated by woman named Wangari Mathae (nobel prize winner in 2004 for combining environmentalism & social activism) for creating awareness against forest degradation and environmental disasters nationwide, where she succeeded. Similarly, whether it is an American writer Rachel Carson who raised the issue of environment for the fi rst time in her book named “silent spring” or present Prime Minister Mrs. Brundtland of Norway who is a renowned advocate who spoke in favor of environment in 1992-Earth summit that all have played signifi cant roles in preventing degrading environment. Th ese are renowned names working for the progress in the environmental sector. Eff orts made by a single person in a huge and successful movement motivate and inspire us. Th is can be an awakening eff ort in context of Nepal where we are facing natural and environmental disasters at an alarming rate. Nepal, where female population is higher than that of male, is amongst the 100 nations facing problem of climate change. Environmental disasters like fl oods and landslides are the main problem that Nepal is facing. Agro-based economy is dependent and heavily aff ected by drought and unpredictable monsoon rainfall. More than half of population is Key in the hand of women now Bikalpa Adhikari Oslo, Norway Gender Namaste Arctic Issue 3, July 2019 29 dependent on agriculture. Due to the change in rainfall pattern, agricultural products, drinking water and sanitation are primarily aff ected. Although, short term eff ect of climate change like soil erosion, fl ood, drought are observed but the long term environmental impacts are more concerning. Th e negative impacts of this have already been observed. We are facing problems in agriculture, biodiversity, water resources, health, energy sources, and forest resources. Data reveal that negative consequences of this are aff ecting females and children more compared to males. To check these disasters from getting worse a lot of eff ort and time has to be spent on balancing these natural sources. Due to migration of males from villages in search of seasonal labor and foreign employment, females and children are forced to be engaged in household activities. Women are facing increasing problems especially due to the long distance walk for fetching drinking water, due to scarcity of fodder and timber and food expenses with minimal income. Nepal is one of the most aff ected countries in fi rst century climate change in 21st century and the problems of women are getting worse. Women have been facing troubles for a long period. Human history was also full of diffi culties. Th e entire household activities were on shoulders of women including rearing children on their own. Till date, women are doing the similar work which they have been doing for generations. Women were compared to earth at times and thought that their strength matches that of earth. By staying in home and caring gardens, arranging and preparing foods, doing cleaning women have an intimate relationship with nature. Women’s religion was possessed with agricultural life. Motherhood period was given to women in Aadim period whereas it was lost in Bhramin period. Th e power of women which was seen in Vedas yug was completely made absent in Puranas. According to Angress, conversion of matriarchal to patriarchal society was the great historical mistake made by women. Also aft er the establishment of male dominated society, the utilization pattern of natural resources was more deteriorated. It there will be female dominated society then there will always be a balance between human and resources. Women are developing nature against disputes among people, they are building unity among human and fi ghting for their rights. We can feel this nature of women in our country too. Women are actively participating, in fact leading from village cleanliness program to cultural program to awareness campaign. Now in diff erent parts of Nepal, many society and organization run by women are more successful such as rural tourism, community forestry, credit forum, aama samuha, samuhik tarkari kheti abhiyan, etc. Women are now becoming more powerful in economic status too. Women’s active participation is equally seen in village development works, cultural activities, and legal matters or in entrepreneurship trainings for livelihood. Th is proves that leadership of women is more successful and this can be utilized now in conservation of natural resources and its utilization by making appropriate rules and regulation. Th e practice of patriarchy dominance should be changed according to time. Th is has now become a compulsion. From generations women are doing household activities but they have never been praised and encouraged. Although there is equal participation of women in diff erent communicating media, NGOs, INGOs but we can hardly fi nd any women who are specialist in natural resources. Due to this, women are not capable enough to cope with natural disasters, climate change etc. Simply we can say that the knowledge of women, their capabilities and leadership abilities are not noticed from the government level as well. Th ough there should be equal participation of men and women in environment conservation and management, participation of women is neglected. Even women are not given equal rights to solve any problems, take community and cultural decisions. Lack of knowledge, zero or low presence in political aff airs and other development works, lacking in education and training skills have actually made women suff er. Th e thing that we should always remember is that though women are in trouble they actually can play a role in coping with environmental disasters and minimizing their impacts. Reports show that, the environmental aspects of Nepal are degrading in faster pace continually, which points out the urgency in its conservation. Th is urgency indicates that protection of nature might be successful through women delegacy as women and nature are synonym to each other.
https://no.nrna.org/Portals/107/Namaste%20Arctic%20Issue%20III.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2AlaYBWkzd3rHcKn1N2PtJjO3ougO5KLfcnLyVyt8c9wb24E9WAYzv52o