Women, deforestation and wood fuel crisis: the case of Tanzania, Tanzania Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 5, No.2, 2004:53-72

Abstract

The wood fuel crisis, which to a large extent is linked with deforestation, has largely been associated with women's role in the domestic domain. Likewise, a big portion of the initiatives taken to redress the crisis has centred on the female domain, and mainly on improving the cooking stove and reforestation. However, the reality shows that women are more of victims than culprits of the crisis; and that in times of crisis women have adopted numerous coping strategies that are not necessarily related to tree-planting. Yet, such strategies have had both positive and negative effects of socio-political and economic nature. This article is an attempt to articulate the synergistic relationship between the wood fuel crisis and women, and the resultant effects in terms of coping strategies.