UN Division for Sustainable Development

Case Study Detail Record

Organization type:	Government

Name of Ministry/Agency:	Department of State

Country:	United States of America

Name of Focal Point:	Hiram Larew

Initiative Title:	Gender and Property Rights: Giving Women a Place at the Table

Internet links:	http://www.ardinc.com/upload/photos/654Women_and_Property_Rights_June_07_FINAL.pdf -- USAID publication (October, 2006) -- Study of Women and Property Rights: Project Best Practices

Scope:	Global

Status:	Ongoing

Timeframe:	Start: End:

Lead Institution:	U.S. Agency for International Development

Stakeholders/Partners:	Women farmers

Relevent issues:	- Food security and sustainable agriculture - Enhancing agricultural productivity through adequate and sustainable inputs - Community-based and indigenous approaches to food production - Diversifying agricultural production systems - Land - Others - Property Rights

Objectives/Challenges:

Women’s access to land and natural resources has been recognized as an important development issue, touching on issues of justice and economic empowerment. Secure property rights for women can alter income opportunities, the dynamics of intra-household decision making, and women’s overall position in the household and community. They can be particularly critical for a woman if the household breaks down in the event of such things as male migration, war, abandonment, divorce, polygamous relationships, debilitating illness (such as HIV/AIDS), or death.
Namibia has made great strides since independence to establish equal rights for men and women under the law. However, in the area of land and property rights, the predominant system of governance continues to be customary law, which does not necessarily provide women with access to land or secure tenure. In fact, customary laws can discriminate against women, particularly in respect to land and property rights.
The Living In a Finite Environment (LIFE) Project was initiated as part of a regional USAID program on natural resource management, and was a joint activity with the Namibian government, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Namibian NGOs. Designed on the premise that “communities derive increased benefits in an equitable manner by gaining control over and sustainably managing natural resources in target areas,” LIFE’s goal was to support existing initiatives to devolve resource rights to local communities and to promote sustainable natural resource management on communal land. A particular strength of the LIFE project was that it consciously promoted women’s participation and empowerment as part of the strategy for strengthening the community-based conservancies that were established to manage natural resources. As a result, the conservancies better considered women’s interests when developing resource management plans, and women’s access and use rights to resources were strengthened.

Next Steps: USAID continues to refine our approaches to land and property rights programming such that gender considerations are integrated into programming design and are an inherent objective of programming interventions.

Lessons Learned:

Gender must be taken into account from program inception. Including women in project activities often requires refinement of approaches and adaptation of established mechanisms. Educating both men and women about women’s rights, and creating mechanisms for women to participate in decision making about resource management is often necessary for women to participate fully and effectively in natural resource management projects and to benefit equitably from them.

Summary:

Key results: Through LIFE project support women’s access and use rights over natural resources were strengthened, resulting in greater livelihood options. The project secured access to resources for traditional income generating activities, such as basket weaving or cutting grass for thatching, but also provided women opportunities for engaging in the nascent tourism industry.