Women and Environment

Elsadig Agabna Elhadi

 Introduction
• When environmental deterioration occurs,
women are the first to suffer; when economic
gains occur, women are the last to receive the
benefits.
 Eco-feminism
• Eco-feminism is the link between the domination
and suppression of women and the domination
and exploitation of nature.
• Women are identified with nature, while men are
closer to culture, which places women in an
inferior position..
• Philosophical and political theory and movement
which combines ecological concerns with
feminist ones, regarding both as resulting from
male domination of society”(Oxford Dictionary )
• Vandana Shiva "Staying Alive; women, ecology
and development"
• Ecofeminism “Vandana Shiva and Mira Mies”
• “women and nature are colonialized by
patriarchal capitalism. This gives men control
over and access to resources that are not given to
women. Women and nature are instead seen as
being free resources for exploitation”
• Ivone Gebara “ecofeminism is born out of daily
life”.
• Carolyn Merchant "The death of nature;
women, ecology and the scientific revolution“
• “The goal of science is altered from knowledge
production to control of nature”
 Women and The Nature
• Nature was female : 'Mother Earth'
• Women living in rural areas or mountain areas
are more close to the nature than men and this
very close relationship makes them perfect
managers of an eco-system
• Women are also critical in agriculture and food
security efforts, if women had equal access to
resources, such as land, training, technology, and
credit, food production would increase.
 Fermented food

• Professor Hamid Dirar considered hostile

environment such as drought, desertification
and recurrent food shortage as main motive
for people to prepare and storage of
fermented foods. Therefore, We assume that
these foods are invented and developed by
women.
 Sudanese women and Agriculture
• 17 % agricultural labour force
• Ahmed at al (2012) in North Kordofan found
the contribution of women as:
• 74% to the monthly agricultural income,
• 65% to total income,
• 62% to the labour work,
• and 65% to the household activities.
• 14 daily working hours are, while, those of men
are only 8
But Few are land owners.
 Gezira Scheme
• Based on tradition women are not encouraged to
work in the field.
• Most of the tenant are Men (12% women)
• Sharia low of inheritance is not applied
• Surprisingly the low of land transfer put women
in the same position as under-aged.
• Most of the women don’t participate in
agriculture activity.(Hager,1992)
• Women refused to leave their village to stay with
their husband in the farm.
 The Role of the IES
• Workshop on : Women and the Environment
Khartoum , Sudan , April 4, 1981.
• Topic discussed
• Water Supply and Health
• Energy. Wood Supply and Desertification
• Agriculture and Nutrition
 Pitfalls in Social Development
Abu Halima Social model Centre
• Balghis Yousif Badri…
• The objective of the centre were
• (1)formation of ideal farms (crops and animal production
• (2) Literacy, cultural, home economics,
• (3)provision of services such as kindergartens, health care, etc..
• The Pitfalls
• that women were not taught how to make use of their skills after
training,
• The food recipe taught are not related traditional food
• Women are not lectured about family nutrition or budget
management,
• Women are not taught how to use their home backyards for
poultry raising.
• Family planning gave no information about family planning but
merely distributed pills.
 Women Role in Desertification
• Saud Adam Ibrahim
• Area : Northern Kordofan:
• Women Activities lead to desertification
• Agriculture
• Charcoal
• Salt extraction
• House construction
• Animal grazing
 The Role of women in the Process of
Desertification in Western Sudan
• Fouad N. Ibrahim
• Millet cultivation is considered as women job.
• It considered as humiliation for men
• In Gable marra Men select to work in orange orchard
and left the hard work of agriculture for women..
• Why such discrimination in work?
• Young men ask for land only when he want to get
married….?
• Significant relationship between rain variability and
polygamy..(polygamy men has no food shortage)
• Men choose their wives from different locations.
 Women Contribution in IES
• 371 M.Sc.
• 29 PhD
• 18 Diploma