Ghana Environmental Management Project (GEMP)

How to Mainstream

Gender Equality in

Projects ProjectsWater Resource Management

MODULE 4

Water Resource ManagementWater Resource Management

Introduction to the Module

These modules are for government staff of the ministries and departments related to Environmental Protection, Environment, Science and Technology, Food and Agriculture, Gender, Children and Social Protection; District staff, planners and Gender Desk Officers; NGOs, CBOs, women's groups and community leaders.

The modules cover each of the six themes of the Ghana Environmental Management Project: Module 1: Land use and soil managementModule 2: Wildlife and biodiversity conservationModule 3: Energy resource managementModule 4: Water resource managementModule 5: Management of vegetative coverModule 6: Alternative and sustainable livelihoods.

Contents

Introduction to the Module .................................................................................................................... 2

Gender and Water Resource Management ............................................................................................ 4

1. Problem Identification ................................................................................................................ 4

Gender Issues

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2.

Project Design

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Project Logic Model: Gender and water resource management

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3.

Project Implementation

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Case Study 1: The Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary –

A Vegetation Restoration Project with Water

Conservation and Ecotourism Benefits

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4.

Project Monitoring

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Indicators

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5.

Project Evaluation

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Monitoring and Evaluation Tools

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Despite many agencies' commitment to gender equality, gender mainstreaming in project cycle management has been limited. Some pay attention to gender during Problem Identification, and at certain points of the Design and Monitoring phases. To truly mainstream gender in sustainable land management projects, each phase of the project cycle needs to be linked with appropriate gender analysis tools and key gender questions.

Each module contains advice on how to mainstream gender through the project cycle:

1. Problem Identification2. Project Design3. Project Implementation4. Project Monitoring 5. Project Evaluation

You can use these materials to assist you to go through the planning cycle with staff, district stakeholders and communities to ensure that the gender issues of inequity are really being addressed by interventions for gender and sustainable land management. Each section contains key questions and examples to assist you to design, implement and monitor gender-sensitive projects with stakeholders and communities.

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Gender and Water Resource Management

Problem identification involves understanding the problems, needs and opportunities related to gender and sustainable land management. It should take into consideration environmental policy, current technologies, ways of working with communities, and considerations for transforming existing gender relations of power and control.

When you are identifying a problem related to gender and sustainable land management, answer the following questions to ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed.

1. Has relevant gender information, especially socio‐economic information, been identified and collected so that it can be included in discussions about project design?

2. Is background data disaggregated by sex? (In many cases, disaggregation by other social identities such as age and ethnic origin is also required, given that communities are rarely homogeneous units.)

3. Have gender specialists (in the CBO or NGO, for example) and representatives of women's organizations within the community been consulted?

4. Have both men and women been involved in problem identification (even if the ultimate problem recognized affects one sex more than the other)?

Here is a list of some of the issues of gender inequity (gender issues) related to water resource management:

1. Women's health and productivity and that of their families is adversely affected by long distances of travel to find water

2. Inadequate access to potable water and lack of storage facilities has negative implications for women's productive activities.

3. Socio-cultural role expectations of both women and men place the burden for water resources management on women

4. Exclusion of women in access to, control over and in decision making in the allocation of irrigable lands forces women to till distant lands, which often result in low yields and low incomes

The following is a short description of the major gender issues of inequity related to water resource management:

Water is a valuable resource and preserves the sustainability and vitality of diverse ecosystems around the world, however, the management of water is becoming increasingly important as water resources are growing scarcer. Only 3% of the planet's water is freshwater and available for human use.

In the three northern regions, many traditional rural water sources have become contaminated as a result of human activities, animal waste and agricultural runoff; others have been desiccated as a result of deforestation and siltation. Women and children therefore walk long distances to secure clean water, especially during the dry season.

1. Problem Identification

Gender Issues

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Inadequate water access and long trekking distance affect the women's involvement in crop and livestock production. Most of the women harvest rain water during the rainy season; this is however impeded by the type of roofing for their buildings and lack of storage containers. The inadequacy in water resource use and management eventually impacts on women's health and that of their families.

It is evident that prevailing cultural role expectations for both men and women can have critical importance in determining their attitudes toward water use and management. The women are more interested in securing water for household activities. Both women and men are involved in dry season farming (mostly vegetables) along the river banks; the women participate in this activity because of the proximity of water for irrigation and the higher cash incomes.

The control and decision regarding the scheduling of irrigation water tend to be without the consideration for women's productive and reproductive activities, inthat the irrigation plots are farther away from the settlements. Most of these irrigable plots exclusively belong to the men and few women belonged to irrigation schemes.

The promotion of irrigation facilities for food crop production would support women to enhance their livelihoods and empower them economically. Improve access to domestic water sources (rain harvesting, boreholes), would impact positively on the health of women and children, men and the youth.

During the long dry season, the lack of water for irrigation compels the men and youth to migrate to urban areas to seek alternative employment. Considering the reproductive role of the women, most of the female farmers have no choice but to stay behind and engage in dry season farming.An excerpt from: Gender Equality Strategy and Action Plan to Combat Drought and Desertification in the three Northern Regions of Ghana (GESAP), developed in 2011 by the Environmental Protection Agency, in conjunction with the Ghana Environmental Management Project.

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2. Project Design

Within the framework given by your agency or organization, or sometimes by your funder's request, you will need to identify objectives and the activities that will enable you to achieve expected results. The Project Design stage is the most important when it comes to integrating the gender dimension into the project. You can apply all the information obtained from your gender analysis in order to plan based on real information concerning the lives of the male and female beneficiaries.

When you are choosing expected results and activities for your project, answer the following questions to ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed.

1. What is the current situation of men and women in the area of your planned intervention?2. Will the proposed project contribute to existing inequalities among men and women?3. Does the proposed project break down or challenge existing inequalities among men and women?4. Will the proposed project change the perceptions or stereotypes about men and women and their

roles in any way?5. What options should be considered to strengthen a gender perspective?6. Will the proposed project contribute to women's empowerment? If not, is there place for an allied

intervention that will contribute to empowerment, so as not to reinforce the disparity between men and women?

Once you have decided on all the expected results and activities for your project, you can summarize them in a Logic Model:

· The Ultimate Outcome is the overall goal of the project, which contributes to national-level aims and policies.

· The Intermediate Outcomes are the expected results related to changes in your organization or group, and its systems or processes.

· The Immediate Outcomes are the expected results related to changes in individuals, their knowledge and awareness, skills or abilities, or access.

· Outputs (or completed activities) lead to outcomes.

Therefore it is important that you implement your activities as planned, based on gender analysis. If you do, you will certainly achieve your expected results.

The expected results and activities listed in the logic model below are examples for you. Depending on the funds you have, you may want to implement only a few of the activities represented in this Logic Model.

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Project Logic Model: Gender and water resource management

Theme WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Ultimate Outcome

Strengthened mainstreaming of gender considerations in issues relating to community-based activities necessary for the reduction and reversing of land degradation and desertification. Gender Equality Strategy and Action Plan

↑ ↑ ↑ ↑

Intermediate Outcomes

Improved women’s livelihoods through access to fertile agricultural lands

Increased women’s participation in decision making on land and water management in communities

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↑

↑

↑

↑

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↑

Immediate Outcomes

Improved

women

access to domestic and agricultural water and ready markets for their farm produce.

Increased knowledge and understanding of community on the importance of challenging traditional gender roles

Enhanced lobbying and negotiations skills of women in the allocation and access to irrigable lands

↑

↑

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Type of

Activities to be implemented

in order to achieve results

Boreholes, hand-dug wells and rain harvesting facilities constructed for households

Women trained on new rain water harvesting technologies and the operation of and maintenance of boreholes

Donkeys and carts provided for the transportation of water

Women trained to care for and maintain donkeys and carts

Dams and dug-outs constructed for dry season farming for women

Improving dry season farming –

provision of water hose and pumps to enhance irrigation

Community members educated on adverse cultural norms perpetuating gender inequities through radio discussions and workshops

Dramas in communities staged on the importance of sharing household tasks by

girls and boys at the family and community level

Formation of water and sanitation committee (gender balanced)

Women trained in negotiation and lobbying skills in order for them to negotiate for better land for women

Land Allocation committees formed under the irrigation schemes with women well represented

Women trained in negotiation and lobbying skills in order for them to negotiate for favorable irrigation water scheduling for women

Irrigation water scheduling committees formed under the irrigation schemes with women well represented

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Construct bore holes and hand dug out wells in the community

Train men and women on the maintenance of bore holes

Aquaculture farming for both men and women

Re-vegetation of water bodies

Education and sensitization of the community -

both

men and women on the proper use

and

handling of agro-chemicals

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3. Project Implementation

Implementation is the major phase in the project cycle, when plans are transformed into reality. Implementation involves using your resources to implement activities in order toachieve the expected results.

When you are implementing the activities for your project, answer the following questions to ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed.

1. Are women and men benefiting from the project? In the same way or different ways? 2. Are some women or men negatively impacted by the project?3. Have gender relations (power and control) of women and men changed as a result of the

project? Have gender gaps been reduced?4. Are new gender issues of inequity emerging within the project?5. Are there new external factors affecting gender relations besides the project? Are they

positive or negative?6. Are women and men both supportive of the project, or do they wish to change it? Who? Why?

How?

Capacity of women on dry season gardening built

Women farmers linked to markets

·

·

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What follows are some case studies about project activities. Ideally, it would be great if your staff and stakeholders, including community members, could visit the communities described in the stories. However, these case studies are the next best thing to visiting. Each case study shows how women and men are:

· participating in the project· sharing project resources· sharing project benefits· changing their lives together· experiencing empowerment.

After each story, there are a number of questions to answer. Read (or translate) the story to your staff, stakeholders or community members. Lead the discussion based on the questions listed after the story. This will assist your staff and stakeholders to visualize the types of changes that they should expect, and allow them to discuss the implications for their own work and lives. They may want to implement a similar project. Similarly, their discussion of the story may inspire them with new ideas for their own projects.

Your staff and stakeholders should understand that exciting things related to gender and sustainable land management are happening in northern Ghana. They too can be part of it! They can transform gender relations through sustainable land management projects!

Talewona isone of twenty communities situated along the Black Volta River in the Wa West District. Before the late 1990s, bushfires, farming and tree felling for charcoal production went on unchecked. These caused depletion of vegetative cover within the watershed resulting in severe erosion and sedimentation of the riverbed. The river overflowed its banks during the rainy season and washed away crops such as maize, millet and sorghum that were cultivated close to the river. In the dry season, fish catchesbecame very low because the volume of water dwindled, exposing parts of the river bed and reducing the supply of plankton, the microorganisms on which fish feed.

In 1996, communities along the riverbank spotted hippopotamusesor hippos in the Black Volta River.Information about this discoveryprompted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to initiate action on eco-tourism development as a strategy for water resource management. In 1998, the EPA developed a proposal for the Wechiau Traditional Authorityto protect the habitat of the hippos. Itwas submitted to the Upper West Regional Coordinating Council (RCC). In the same year, the Traditional Authority received funding from the Calgary Zoo in Alberta, Canada. Using the core or buffer zone concept developed by NGOs, the Wechiau Traditional Authority organized 22 communities to create a 42km buffer zone along the Black Volta Riverin Wa West District, stretching from Mwalayire to the north and Dochire to the south. This area became the Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary.

Case Study 1: The Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary – A Vegetation Restoration Project with Water Conservation and Ecotourism Benefits

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However, the Traditional Authority could not enforce the core zone concept. Communities living within the core zone initially resisted appeals by the Traditional Authority for them to resettle in the development zone. Farming, hunting and tree felling for charcoal production continued in the core zone until 2003 when the EPA,in collaboration with the Wechiau Traditional Council, the RCC and the Police, monitored the core zone, sensitized the communities on the project and arrested some of the people who continued living and farming there. Those arrested were cautioned, prompting the settlers to move out to resettle in the development zone.

In recognition of the wildlife in the area, the Wildlife Division elevated the Wechiau area to the status of a Community Resource Management Area (CREMA)in 2011. It had the responsibilityto manage the wildlife and vegetative cover within the core zone.

Under the Ghana Environmental Management Project (GEMP), the EPA, through the Regional Environmental Management Committee (REMC) and the Wa West DistrictEnvironmental Management Committee (DEMC) formed a 13-member Community Environmental Management Committee (CEMC) consisting of 6 women and 7 men, and a 20- member anti-bushfire volunteer squad consisting of 11 men and 9 women. These community level committees organizedmen and women in the community to create fire belts, and monitor and control fires in the core zone of the sanctuary. The Talewona community was sensitized on water resource management issues and alternative livelihoods. Women were trained in shea butter processing and supported with a shea butter processing machine, which was installed at Tokala which is centrally located and is the traditional headquarters of the area. The two communities were supported with improved breeds of sheep to enhance productivity of their stock. The Talewona community has agreed on rules and regulations to protect the buffer zone from bushfires.

As part of activities organized to mark the 2011 World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, the EPA supported the Talewona community to plant and nurture 5000 mahogany tree seedlings to enrich the tree cover. The survival rate of the seedlings is very high.

With the assistance of fishermen, a census conducted in 2011 by the Ghana Tourist Board in collaboration with the EPA, the Wa West District Assembly and the Wechiau Traditional Authority recorded that there were 35 hippos, compared to 18 recorded in 2005.

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To ensure sustainability and motivate the communities, the EPA has collaborated with the Ghana Social Opportunities Project (GSOP) to carry out enrichment tree planting and bushfire control. Under the GSOP, men and women are paid to plant and water tree seedlings in the buffer zone and make fire belts around it during the dry season to control bushfires.

Several benefits are being derived from restoration of the Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary. Vegetative cover has increased within the 42 km core zone of the Black Volta River watershed. Water is being conserved in the river. The population of hippos in the river has increased and attracted tourist who no longer travel long distances to spot hippos. Tourism has become a source of income for men and women at Talewona. Men are employed as tour guides while women sell fish to tourists because fish catches have increased.

Also, through GEMP support, women in the two communities now have access to a corn millfor shea butter processing, which has a large market both locally and internationally. They also rear improved breeds of sheep, which have a higher market value than local ones. The communities now see the Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary as their own.

Questions for Discussion:

The establishment of the Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary disrupted the lives of women and men living in the buffer or core zone. They had to do their farming and other activities outside of the zone in order to conserve the water habitat, so that the hippos and vegetative cover could thrive.

1. Why do you think that the women and men of the 22 communities were resistant to the idea of a buffer zone? What would a move out of the buffer zone mean for the roles, responsibilities and daily activities of both men and women?

2. Once they cooperated with authorities and moved outside of the buffer zone, in what types of new livelihood activities did women and men engage? How do you think these new activities changed their traditional roles and responsibilities?

3. Women and men also became sensitized and involved in water conservation activities? What were they? What tasks did women do? What tasks did men do? What new skills did they learn?

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4. The end of the story says that communities now see the Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary as their own. How do you think women and men worked together to make the community reserve a success?

5. In the end, women and men became engaged in several new activities: new livelihood activities outside of the buffer zone, and new conservation and ecotourism activities inside the buffer zone. Do gender roles and responsibilities change when men and women work together for land and water resource management? If yes, how? Is this a positive development for communities? Why?

The progress of a project has to be monitored to ensure that the expected results are happening. Think about some of the changes you read about in the case studies and in your own projects.Many of the changes are related to the environment and, at the same time, related to gender.

An important way of monitoring whether a project has mainstreamed gender and transformed gender relations is to use gender-sensitive indicators. Gender-sensitive indicators will let you know whether there are changes in gender relations – women's and men's dynamics of power and control. Here are some features of gender relations that should change after implementing a project on gender and sustainable land use:

· participation in projects and committees· awareness, knowledge, skills · decision-making powers · roles and responsibilities in the household, community and leadership· how roles, tasks, resources are valued· access to and control of project resources and benefits· access to and control of household and community resources and benefits.

All this information should be sex-disaggregated, so that differences between men and women can be highlighted and inequities addressed. Sex-disaggregated data presents information separately for women and men, and as required, boys and girls.

When you are monitoring a project, answer the following questions to ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed.

1. Does the monitoring plan invite input and feedback from women and men?2. Are generated data, analysis and reports sex-disaggregated?3. Are gender indicators effectively used and assessed?4. Does monitoring consider both women's and men's roles (even if those roles are

different)?5. Is progress toward objectives and expected results related to men or women on track?6. Have any gender issues of inequity arisen that were not identified at the project design

stage? If so, how can theybe addressed?

4. Project Monitoring

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IndicatorsHere are some examples of gender-sensitive indicators for gender and water resource management. You can use these and others that you develop to assess whether your project is on track to changing gender relations, roles, responsibilities and how they are valued.

Gender-sensitive indicators for Gender and Water Resource Management 1. # of domestic and agricultural water sources available to women

2. time spent by women for fetching water

3. #of women having access to irrigable lands

4. # of women serving in the water management committee

5. # of women in leadership positions on committees

6.

#of functional land allocation committees with high level of women participation

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% increase in yields from women’s farms

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% increase in sales of farm produce of women

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income from women’s sale of farm produce

10.

% increase in women’s income levels

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agro-chemical-related ailments recorded

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#of families in which boys and girls share gender roles

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# of children (boys and girls) willing to share gender roles

5. Project Evaluation

Monitoring and Evaluation Tools

At the end of your project, you will want to evaluate whether it has been successful – in achieving its goals for sustainable land use, and toward gender equality. Evaluation should be as systematic and objective as possible. Therefore, tools are developed to collect gender-sensitive and sex-disaggregated data. These tools can be used at the end of the project, but also at the beginning (baseline) and mid-point to assess progress over time.

Here are some examples of gender-sensitive tools for gender and water resource management. If you use these tools at the beginning, middle and end of your project, you will see changes in how men and women have access to and control over resources; and in their roles and responsibilities. You may also discover some changes in gender relations that you did not expect! You should determine whether these are positive and progressive changes, or negative and counter-productive. When it comes time to designing a new phase of your project or even a brand new project, take these lessons into account to ensure that your project will implement all activities necessary to promote gender equality.

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Questions Men Boys Women Girls

1. Who is involved in the fetching of water for the household?

2. Who spends the most time searching for water? 3. Who uses more water in the household? 4. Who uses new water harvesting technology

more?

5. Who does water related diseases affect more?

A. Household survey questions

B. Focus group interview questions with women involved in the project

1. How do you feel about the time you have available for household chores? Have there been any changes in the amount of time that you have spent on household chores? What is the reason? Are the changes better for you?

2. How much time do you have available for alternative economic activities? If you have time, what are some of the benefits of these activities?

3. What do you think about men and boys being involved in water fetching? Do you think they are comfortable with this task?Why or why not?

4. Do you think women should be involved in decision making concerning water resources? If so, what are some of the benefits of women's involvement? Are there any people who feel that women should not be involved in decision-making about community resources? If so, why? What can you do to change their views?

5. What specific contributions, whether ideas or decisions, have women made in the WATSAN committee?What has been the response of the committee? Have some of women's ideas been implemented? Which ones? What was the result?

C. Focus group interview questions with men involved in the project1. Now that you have water available all year round, how has it changed your life and the life

of your family? 2. What do you think about the use of chemicals for fishing? Do you think that people

understand the implications of its use? Have there been any changes in this practice? If yes, why?

3. What do you think about women's involvement in decision making pertaining to irrigation water scheduling in the community? Are women's ideas different from men's? Why do you think this is so? Is women's involvement beneficial to men? Why or why not?

4. What do you think about women having donkey carts to assist in fetching water?Has it helped you in any way? Have you done anything to help women manage the donkey carts?

5. Do you think there has been an improvement in income levels of families in the community? If yes, why do you think this is so? What roles have both men and women played to bring about this improvement?

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D. Group interview with CEMC executives 1. How many men and how many women are on the CEMC? 2. How many women are executives?3. What are they roles of women in the CEMC?4. What initiatives have women taken? 5. What women's issues are addressed at the CEMC level?6. How are women involved in the maintenance of the bore hole?

E. Observation guide at the project site (list of what to look for)1. Is the water management facility serving its purpose?2. Is the water management facility used and maintained? 3. Are donkey carts used?4. Are boys helping in fetching water?5. Are women involved in dry season gardening?6. Is the scheduling of irrigation favorable to women?7. What is the survival rate of seedlings transplanted?8. What is the improvement in vegetative cover?9. Are people farming away from buffer zone?10. Is there any evidence of burning around the area?

This is the end of this module. Best wishes as you mainstream gender, empowering women and men in sustainable land management projects.

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