The role of rural women in mitigating water scarcity
| dc.contributor.advisor | Pelser, A. J. | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Sigenu, Kholisa | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2015-11-11T09:32:45Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2015-11-11T09:32:45Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2006 | en_ZA |
| dc.description | Dissertation (M.A.(Social Sciences))--University of the Free State, 2006 | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐๐๐ Due to water scarcity in the world and its effect on rural women, the aim of the study was to document the strategies of rural women in Ndonga and their role in mitigating water scarcity with an aim of providing a set of recommendations. As the result of the relatively unexplored nature of womenโs strategies, the study was exploratory. Firstly, the researcher confirmed that there was water scarcity in Ndonga. Through a literature search, interviews with key informants and focus group sessions with local women, the researcher discovered that women in Ndonga are vulnerable to water scarcity. What makes them susceptible to water scarcity is their status in the community. The women are left in the rural areas while men seek for work elsewhere. They also do not have proper access to water and therefore depend on natural resources. Secondly, their economic status (mostly unemployed) also makes it difficult for them to deal with stock and crop loss. Vulnerability is also due to their lack of participation in decision making. The South African governmentโs strategies to combat water scarcity include giving free basic water to poor households (This process is slow in rural areas like Ndonga) and to include all water users in the management of water resources. Womenโs local wisdom and knowledge gained through experience, cultural and ethical values should help them to create their own future. Womenโs strategies to cope with water scarcity are currently largely undocumented and therefore unrecognized. These strategies could, however, be a potential solution to water scarcity problems. Strategies used by women in Ndonga have confirmed that rural women are not just victims of water scarcity but that they are able to minimize the impact of this phenomenon. The strategy of ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ป๐๐ ensures that women are able to share the minimum that they have with others in order to access equipment and secure food for the family during hard times. The women have also managed to conserve water as they use micro-irrigation schemes through working together. To further ensure that there is food, the women plant and store crops. A crop such as sorghum is used to make different dishes that sustain energy. Through communal vegetable gardens the women are able to secure some form of income for their families. However, this is still not enough money as they still struggle to afford water for nondomestic purposes. The women are also using drought resistant plants that grow naturally in the area to deal with water scarcity. Lastly, rituals, such as ๐๐ธ๐๐ป๐ด๐พ๐๐ป๐ด๐พ๐ฎ, in rural Ndonga, are seen as pivotal strategies to ensure that there is water but, as a result of deteriorating human values, such rituals might fail. It is proposed that the authorities in Ndonga should create awareness of the looming water scarcity facing communities, to prepare them so that they are pro-active in dealing with water scarcity. Furthermore, womenโs participation in decision making should be strengthened by increasing the current 30 percent to 50 percent representation as women in rural areas are usually proportionally more than men. Human induced water scarcity problems, such as desiccation as a result of overstocking/overgrazing, should also be monitored and minimized. Womenโs income generating projects should be financially supported to ensure sustainability and empowerment. Women should also be capacitated with technical skills through their involvement in the implementation phase of community water projects, such as the installation of communal taps. Lastly, womenโs needs, experiences and knowledge should be documented and used in the formulation of relevant strategies in order to reduce womenโs vulnerability to water scarcity and to decrease its impact. This, in turn, will prevent further water degradation and environmental degradation. ___________________________________________________________________ | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ As gevolg van โn waterskaarste in die wรชreld en die effek daarvan op landelike vrouens is die doel van hierdie studie om landelike vrouens in Ndonga se strategieรซ en hulle rol om die waterskaarste te versag, te dokumenteer met die doel om โn stel aanbevelings te verskaf. As gevolg van die feit dat vrouens se strategieรซ relatief onbekend is, is die studie verkennend van aard. Eerstens het die navorser bevestig dat daar โn waterskaarste in Ndonga is. Die navorser het deur โn literatuursoektog onderhoude met sleutelinformante en fokusgroepsessies met plaaslike vrouens bevind dat vrouens in Ndonga kwesbaar vir โn waterskaarste is. Wat hulle gevoelig maak vir โn waterskaarste is hulle status in die gemeenskap. Die vrouens word in die landelike gebiede agtergelaat, terwyl mans elders na werk gaan soek. Hulle het ook nie behoorlike toegang tot water nie en is dus van natuurlike hulpbronne afhanklik. Tweedens maak hulle ekonomiese status (meestal werkloos) dit ook vir hulle moeilik om vee- en oesverliese te hanteer. Hulle is ook kwesbaar omdat hulle nie aan die besluitnemingsprosesse deelneem nie. Die Suid-Afrikaanse regering se strategieรซ om waterskaarste te bekamp, sluit in dat hulle gratis basiese water aan arm huishoudings voorsien (hierdie proses verloop stadig in landelike gebiede soos Ndonga) en om alle watergebruikers by die bestuur van waterhulpbronne te betrek. Vrouens se plaaslike wysheid en kennis wat hulle deur ervaring en kulturele en etiese waardes verwerf het, behoort hulle te help om hulle eie toekoms te skep. Vrouens se strategieรซ om waterskaarste te hanteer, is tans grootliks ongeboekstaaf en word dus nie erken nie. Hierdie strategieรซ sou egter โn moontlike oplossing vir die waterskaarsteprobleme kon wees. Die strategieรซ wat vrouens in Ndonga gebruik, bevestig dat landelike vrouens nie net slagoffers van โn waterskaarste is nie, maar dat hulle in staat is om die impak van hierdie verskynsel te minimaliseer. As strategie verseker ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ป๐๐ dat vrouens in staat is om die minimum wat hulle het met andere te deel ten einde in swaarkrytye vir die gesin toerusting te bekom en voedsel te verseker. Die vrouens het ook daarin geslaag om water te spaar aangesien hulle mikrobesproeiingskemas gebruik deur saam te werk. Om verder te verseker dat daar kos is, plant en stoor die vrouens gesaaides. โn Gesaaide soos sorghum word gebruik om verskillende energiegewende disse te maak. Die vrouens is in staat om deur gemeenskaplike groentetuine tog 'n mate van inkomste vir hulle gesinne te verseker. Dit is egter steeds nie genoeg geld nie, terwyl hulle worstel om water vir nie-huishoudelike gebruik te bekostig. Die vrouens gebruik ook droogtebestande plante wat natuurlik in die area groei om die waterskaarste die hoof te bied. Laastens word rituele soos ๐๐ธ๐๐ป๐ด๐พ๐๐ป๐ด๐พ๐ฎ in die landelike Ndonga as โn deurslaggewende strategie beskou om te verseker dat daar water is, maar as gevolg van verswakkende menslike waardes kan sulke rituele dalk misluk Daar word voorgestel dat die owerhede in Ndonga โn bewustheid skep van die dreigende waterskaarste wat die gemeenskappe in die gesig staar ten einde hulle voor te berei om in die hantering van die waterskaarste pro-aktief te wees. Verder behoort vrouens se deelname aan besluitnemingsprosesse versterk te word deur die huidige 30% verteenwoordiging tot โn 50% verteenwoordiging te verhoog aangesien vrouens in landelike gebied gewoonlik in verhouding meer is as mans. Waterskaarsteprobleme wat deur mense veroorsaak word, soos uitdroging as gevolg van oorbeweiding, behoort ook gemonitor en geminimaliseer te word. Projekte waardeur vrouens โn inkomste genereer, behoort finansieel ondersteun te word om volhoubaarheid en bemagtiging te ondersteun. Vrouens behoort ook bevoeg gemaak te word met tegniese vaardighede deurdat hulle by die implementeringsfase van gemeenskapswaterprojekte, soos die installering van gemeenskaplike krane, betrokke is. Laastens behoort vrouens se behoeftes, ervarings en kennis gedokumenteer te word en gebruik te word in die formulering van toepaslike strategieรซ ten einde vrouens se kwetsbaarheid vir โn waterskaarste te verlaag en die impak daarvan te verminder. Op sy beurt sal dit die verdure agteruitgang van water en die omgewing voorkom. ___________________________________________________________________ | af_ZA |
| dc.description.sponsorship | National Research Foundation (NRF) | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11660/1610 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | University of the Free State | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Abstract in other languages ๐๐ค๐ณ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐๐ง๐ณ๐ช๐ฌ๐ข๐ข๐ฏ๐ด | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | University of the Free State | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Vulnerability | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Decision making | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Coping strategies | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Capacity building | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Ubuntu | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Food security | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Impact and environmental degradation | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Water scarcity | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Rural women | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Rural women -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Social conditions | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Droughts -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Water-supply, Rural -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape | en_ZA |
| dc.title | The role of rural women in mitigating water scarcity | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Dissertation |