Gender equality in forestry education in a Kenyan University

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Forest Research and Cooperation for Sustainable Development: XXV IUFRO World Congress, 29 sept - 5 October 2019, Curitiba, PR, Brazil: Abstracts ; Jrg. 39 ; Special Issue (2019) , 15

Women play a major role in the establishment and management of forests in the world and especially in the developing world, and Kenya in particular. Women are found in large numbers working in the tree nurseries and during tree planting in the field, but their numbers reduce drastically in the management positions. About 90% of the rural households use fuelwood for their cooking, heating and lighting. Fuelwood collection is done mainly by women and girls in the forest at a fee, while boys are left to play or look after cattle in the field. A lot of time is spent which can be reduced if both men and women can be encouraged to plant trees in their farms. In Kenya, this has not been easy due to land tenure, tree tenure, government policies, land sizes, the long term state of the crop and culture problems. To promote forests, more women should be in policy making positions both in the forestry sector and in politics where most decisions are made. Women should be encouraged to vie for those positions whenever advertised and given a level ground with their male counterparts. The government has put the 2/3 gender rule in the constitution, but its implementation is yet to be realized. More research should be done on why fewer women are found in forest related sectors and how this can be changed.