Message 36: Helvi Heinonen-Tanski

Helvi Heinonen-Tanski responds saying that more water is required for women’s household cultivation.

The Whys?

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

Women should get more self-confidence. The more input of water could increase "female" household level cultivation yields and thus improve their position in the family and society.

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)

The women themselves should adapt more modern ways to transport water. Carrying water in beautiful bowls is a difficult and heavy tasks: women could use more trolleys or bicycles. Transportation of water would then be much more easy and light and the productivity would increase. Roads allowing men to use motorcycles allow the women to use trolleys or bicycles.

Why is gender not mainstreamed in water management in agriculture?

Men do not like that their leading role will be questioned.

Also "modern" commercial, large scale agriculture competes for water with small scale, household cultivation. At the present situation crayfish or pray production for Western markets in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or India or Thailand brings money but it consumes fresh water.

Helvi Heinonen-Tanski

Dr. Helvi Heinonen-Tanski

Department of Environmental Sciences

University of Kuopio

POB 1627

FIN 70211 Kuopio, Finland

Fax 358-17-163191, Tel 358-17-163152

email: heinotan@uku.fi

tel 358-17-163152

fax 358-17-163191 or 358-17-163230

email: Helvi.HeinonenTanski@uku.fi