The role of women in environmental management: An overview of the rural Cameroonian situation

Abstract

Rural Cameroonian women interact with the environment through their numerous daily chores, and so produce in each Cameroonian ecological zone specific problems which with time can no longer be managed. In cutting down and burning the vegetation so as to create farms, in fetching water, fuel wood and so on in order to satisfy the needs of each household, the Cameroonian rural woman is pushed into a situation where she devastates and accelerates environmental degradation.

In any ecological, climatic, ethnic or cultural zone, in which she finds herself, she sets in motion the continuous natural resource consumption process. Unfortunately, she has no firm authority over the land, credit and decision-making where she can come in, interact and check some of these negative consequences. The men have also been identified as accomplices in this environmental degradation process since they push the women into taking much from the environment so as to satisfy men and general domestic needs.

Since the rural Cameroonian women constitute a potential partner (56,6%) of the rural production force, this paper highlights the problems created in each zone with the view of awakening public opinion, and creating an awareness of the magnitude in each zone. Some proposals, through the discussion methodology are envisaged. This, through compensatory measures, exchanges in take and give, and in farm community actions to uphold any positive checks. When all these are properly focused and the women's right to land, credit, training and decision-making recognised, they can be brought to the forefront as partners in the better management of the environment.