Gender power relations in development planning for forest and watershed management in Lampung, Indonesia

Abstract

Development planning of forest and watershed management is a critical step for a sustainable natural resource. However, the interests, skills, and participation of women are hardly considered. This research investigates the development of a gender action plan (GAP) in a program called Strengthening Community-Based Forest and Watershed Management (SCBFWM) in upstream Way Besai (Besai River) in West Lampung, Indonesia. Data were collected through interviews, documents, and focus group discussions. We found that there are inconsistencies in government policies regarding commitment to gender. Although West Lampung Regency acknowledged gender equality as a goal, which is shown through its vision, there was barely any mention of it in their local offices’ policies, programs, activities, and budget. The gendering of the forest and watershed management has changed in recent years, with women’s community-based organizations (CBOs) and the community having acknowledged the importance of women’s interests and participation in promoting sustainable forests and watersheds. The gap between ignorance and knowledge within the government, in the context of more knowledgeable and skillful community members, may create tensions between governments, community-based organizations, and community members. This study hopes to strengthen the awareness among government officers in gendering forest and watershed sectors development.

Keywords:

• Development planning
• forest and watershed management
• gender power relations
• gender roles
• government policies

Notes

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Ari Darmastuti is a Lecturer in the Government Science Study Program, University of Lampung, Indonesia. She received her Ph.D in Political Science from the University of Indonesia. Prior she was Chairperson of Women Study Centre of the same University (1995–2001), Chair of the Master's Program in Government Science, the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences of the University of Lampung. She has also been an expert team member to the Government of Lampung Province (2007–2018). Her past and current research interest is gender and politics. She is also interested in conducting research about political party and democracy. Her recent published book and book chapters are: Women Political Right and Participation in Partai Keadilan Sejahtera (book, Indonesian language, 2017), Materia Feminism and Multi-Local Political Ecologies: Rethinking Gender and Nature in Lampung, Indonesia (book chapter with Rebecca Elmhirst, 2015), Flooding in a City of Migrants: Ethnicity and Entitlement in Bandar Lampung, Indonesia (book chapter with Rebecca Elmhirst, 2018).

Atika Wijaya is a Lecturer and Researcher at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Semarang State University in Indonesia. She received her Doctoral degree from the International Centre for Integrated assessment and Sustainable development (ICIS) at Maastricht University, the Netherlands, in 2017. Her research interests include governance, governmental policies, natural resources governance, and sustainable development.

Notes

1 Perhutani is a public company that engages in the protection and management of forest in Indonesia. Perhutani’s interest is to ensure that the activities within the forest are managed by the village forest community in accordance with the principles of protected forest management. The village forest community is a group of people who has the right to manage the area surrounding the forest or within the forest. This community can plant coffee, rubber or other plants and they will share the profit with Perhutani (for more information see Wijaya, Glasbergen, & Mawardi, 2017, p. 702).

2 Revolving human resource cooperative is a cooperative in which women members will work in each member’s farm field without being paid. They simply count the hours of work, and they must reciprocate with the same number of hours of work on other members’ fields. At the end of the season, they will count the difference and pay the extra hours with money, usually during harvest season.