Message 21: Max Finlayson

Max Finlayson agrees with Pay Drechsel’s comments on the insufficient exposure to the social sciences in more technical fields, and asks for references of material that could address these gaps.

The comment from Pay about gender mainstreaming not receiving sufficient attention in the biophysical disciplines is a good introduction to my quandary about these issues in the CA.

I am not up with the curricula in biophysical sciences in either developed or developing countries, but I would not be surprised if many developed country curricula in such sciences also did not make this a major topic. It has not been a major topic in my career when looking at ecosystem management – it has run alongside in some very complex social scenarios that were being treated separately from the ecological concerns.

And referring back to my own mainstream interest in the CA, and hence water management in agriculture, I am not making much headway in ascertaining what tangible gender mainstreaming steps are relevant and/or needed in ecosystem management in response to water/agric management. There are a host of institutional and policy/governance issues that may be in other chapters and which will impinge on ecosystem management, but when looking at the responses to questions below I am missing the tangible links to ecosystem issues. There is a lot of philosophy and generalities, but I’d appreciate referral to the background information and reference sources whereby we can incorporate material into the ecosystem chapter, as opposed to cross-referencing other chapters.

With this request in mind please see my comments on the questions

Why is it important to mainstream a gender perspective in agricultural water management? (A maximum of 3 points preferably with supporting cases or examples)

When dealing with societal responses in relation to ecosystem degradation I’d like referral to evidence whereby we can make the link with the value of mainstreaming gender.

What are the real issues that challenge the integration of gender concerns into water management and agriculture? (3 points with evidence-supporting cases and examples)

I agree with Pay about the curricula but again, is there evidence? Similarly in relation to the many points raised by others. Can you assist with critical references that we can use?

Why is gender not mainstreamed in water management in agriculture? (3 points with evidence)

A direct response to Pay (but really to everyone), what stops us from accepting or implementing integrated responses? We have been calling for integrated responses for several decades (that I know about); its not new, but we are repeating the call? Are there real obstacles? Are these documented? Or maybe we are just dreaming and out of touch with reality. And has this been assessed? The debates that could arise are interesting, but it’s the evidence I’m keen to get so I can respond to this in our chapter.

Thanks, and I’ve avoided diving off into indigenous people issues as I normally do!

Max Finlayson

Wetlands Ecology, IWMI

PO Box 2075, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Tel +94-11-2787404 extn 1306

Mobile +94-777562217