Climate change is partly the result of an approach to development and economic growth that has proven to be unsustainable. Halting climate change requires a fresh, more equitable and sustainable approach to the way we live, produce and consume.

"Women have a lower carbon footprint than men", according to the United Nations’ State of World Population Report 2009, "but are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of global warming." The report concluded that climate change "threatens to amplify the inequities between women and men." It further stated that "Women - particularly those in poor countries - are affected differently from men. Women are among the most vulnerable to climate change, partly because in many countries they make up the larger share of the agricultural workforce and partly because they tend not to have access to as many income-earning opportunities as men… Women manage households and care for family members, which often limits their mobility and increases their vulnerability to sudden weather related natural disasters." The report also found that drought and erratic rainfall forced women to work harder to secure food, water and energy for their homes. Girls were more likely than boys to drop out of school to help their mothers with these tasks.

In this perspective, Development Alternatives has initiated a campaign called Shubh Kal towards providing local solutions to the vulnerable and marginalised communities of the Bundelkhand region. It is an effort to influence practice and policy towards securing livelihoods, reducing the risks that have emerged due to the changing climate. The campaign aims at enabling rural women, artisans and farmers to respond to the changing climate, reduce their vulnerability and boost sustainable development.

Impact of Climate change on women:

Because of greater poverty, lesser power over their own lives, less recognition of their economic productivity and their disproportionate burden in reproduction and childraising, women face additional challenges as climate changes. Marginalisation of and discrimination against women and the lack of attention to the ways gender inequality hampers development, health, equity and overall well-being, undermine a country’s resilience to climate change. By comparison with men in poor countries, women face historical disadvantages, which include limited access to decision-making and economic assets that compound the challenges of climate change (United Nations Population Fund- State of World Population Report 2009)

Women of Bundelkhand face similar challenges. They are vulnerable to the climate change because they tend to have access to fewer income opportunities. Realising this fact, Development Alternatives proposed to bring community building among women so that they can adapt themselves in face of changing climatic conditions Based on the above observation, DA initiated activities empowering the women, insitutionalising them and then building their capacity to stand and fight for their rights. The programme plans to fill the capacity building gaps for the women of the cluster by providing training exercises and exposure visit so that they can own and manage the Gaushala (mentioned later in the article) and earn their livelihood as well. In this regard, a visionary exercise was conducted by Radio Bundelkhand and Development Solutions Branch (DSB) January 24, 2011.

Visionary Exercise among Women in Bundelkhand:

A Visionary Exercise was conducted among 50 women in Bundelkhand under Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation - Sustainable Civil Society Initiatives (SDC-SCSI) project at Ramraja Gaushala. The main purpose of organising such exercise was to explore new possibilities with its focus on Guashala and provide a a platform to women where they can express their vision to make it a more sustainable source of livelihood.

As women in this area are more associated with the Gaushala, they were chosen as the target group for this exercise. The exercise was more like a discussion forum where women participated and made some recommendations to make the Guashala economically more sustainable for the villagers. One of the main activities was wall paintings. It depicted through a pictorial form the vision that the women had about the Gaushala, what did they expect out of it and how do they want it to run in the future. After analysing various paintings, DA came to the conclusion that they see Gaushala as a business model and an important source of income. Women want ownership for various business activities being carried out in Gaushala and manage it themselves. They also want to make Gaushala a centre for social and cultural change for the future.

The idea behind the one-day workshop was to find answers to certain key questions from women:

The participants provided concrete answers to these basic, but significant queries. They treat the Gaushala as their a primary source of livelihood and want its business model to develop into a sustainable source of earning in future. To see the future Gaushala as the business model, which will be more sustainable for their earnings.

The participants were divided into five groups of 10 members each. The whole process was conducted over two phases. In the first phase, each group needed to write down their idea on a chart paper. In the second phase, painters were provided by DA who assisted the women in depicting their vision in the form of wall paintings. The proposed title of the paintings was "Hamari Soch Hamare Sapne" (Our Vision, Our Dreams!)

Many interesting leads came out at the end of the activity. Participating women provided many ideas for re-formation and re-organisation of the existing Guashala through their paintings. Some of the recommendations were:

It was evident through the participation of women in the workshop that one of the main positive impact of community mobilisations, carried out over years, is that women have become more enterprising and aspire for a better life. They are now aware of the benefits of alternative techniques, which can help them reduce the carbon footprint. We witness that after having gone through awareness programmes they have started demanding technical know-how for sustainable development, key to reduce adverse effects of climate change.

Conclusion:

DA’s initiative at the Ramraja Gaushala to involve women in approaching sustainable development broke the conventional understanding about such programmes. Local community looks up to these activities as a wholesome experience. It expects the Gaushala to perform many functions, which are beyond its initial purpose and become a more responsible institution. Most importantly, it is seen as a place which has the potential to provide economic opportunities.

It is to be noted that the implementations of the above mentioned recommendations is a challenging task. However, it gave us a clear picture as to how the Gaushala can be a stable economic institution for the women in rural areas. It provides a possibility to give women a space and platform outside the four walls of the house, which can further give them a sense of empowerment. Gaushala is a medium through which women can engage in various activities and reap economic benefits too.

The success of the Visionary Exercise at Bundelkhand calls for more such initiatives. They should aim at providing a creative stage to women to voice their opinions and get better economic deals through sustainable development.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change
UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund- State of World Population Report 2009 Facing a changing world: women, population and climate q