Fiona Flintan and Shibru Tedla (Eds.). Natural Resource Management: The Impact of Gender and Social Issues. (Shorter Notices-2016-1)

Fiona Flintan and Shibru Tedla (Eds.). Natural Resource Management: The Impact of Gender and Social Issues. Kampala, Uganda: Fountain Publishers. 2010. 262 pages. The book, “Natural Resource Management: The Impact of Gender and Social Issues” is related to natural resource management (NRM) that involves dealing with the interaction between humans and nature and in this regard the relevant research issues about natural resource management (NRM) are identified. It is the outcome of the research projects funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and sponsored by (OSSREA). There are five broad objectives of the books, namely capacity building among NRM researchers with more emphasis on land and integrated water resource management; developing new appropriate tools for social/gender analysis; building capacity in the organisations with more focus on gender in NRM research activities; creating awareness about collaborative networking among NRM researchers in the sub-regions; and documenting the best practices of researchers and to keep a record of their research results which will help further in rural poverty reduction. In addition to the introductory and concluding chapters, which are written by the editors of the book, there are six chapters in the book. The concluding chapter also includes recommendations. A major contribution of this volume is to fill the gap by highlighting the responsibilities of men and women in NRM and also emphasising different roles, access, controls, and contributions. The main six chapters of this edited volume are contributed by researchers with various backgrounds. These chapters highlight the role and importance of gender in various activities related to the natural resources. The book draws on research carried out in different countries of eastern and southern Africa, including Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, and Ethiopia. The analyses show how different gender groups can be integrated into the sustainable management of natural resources, based on their needs, relations, and their roles. Previously it was very difficult to ensure the participation of women in the research projects but the research presented in this volume shows ways how this problem can be solved with special efforts to encourage women, such as by creating environments where women feel comfortable enough to contribute by including the female-related questions asked in the questionnaire. The book shows how innovation in NRM can contribute to rural poverty reduction. Although the book draws on research carried out in southern and eastern Africa, the results may be useful for policy formulation in other developing regions of the world where rural poverty is a problem. One of the main contributions of the book is that it shows which of various multi-stakeholder approaches work the best and why. The book makes a very important contribution to the study of rural poverty as the contributors to the book analyse the outcomes and impacts of development projects, and present comparative insights on methodological, technological, policy, and institutional innovations. The book is an attempt to overcome the challenges through the interlinked set of studies and dealings particularly with those activities that could degrade the environment. The book will indeed be useful for researchers, academics, development professionals and practitioners alike in agriculture, natural resource management, social sciences, and related disciplines. (Hanzla Jalil).