Women, Woodfuel, and Health in Adamtar Village, Nepal

Abstract

Women, wood energy, and health are interrelated subjects. In rural Nepal, women’s much needed household energy requirements are met by woodfuel This paper, based on a field study of 100 women, examines the health effects of woodfuel use on women as primary users, carrying large bulks of woodfuel to their homes and inhaling the smoke emitted while cooking. Increasing deforestation has forced women to carry woodloads over longer distances. Wood shortages have also meant that women settle for an inferior quality of wood, and cooking is done in poorly ventilated kitchens. As a consequence, their vulnerability to health problems has increased. This study found a relation between exposure to woodsmoke and chronic bronchitis in women. A possible association is also seen between carrying heavy loads of wood over long distances and prolapse of the uterus. The paper also examines forest management policy interventions in relation to women’s fuel needs.