Breaking Barriers: Advancing Gender Inclusion in Tanzania’s Sustainable Water Management Partnerships (SUWAMA)
Catchment stewardship partnerships are crucial for managing water resources sustainably through collective action to address the myriad challenges of climate change, environmental degradation, and increasing water demand. These partnerships often bring together diverse stakeholders, including governments, private sector entities, communities, and non-governmental organizations. However, for such collaborations to achieve equitable and sustainable outcomes, gender inclusion must play an integral part in their design and implementation.
Gender Inclusion: A Cornerstone of Sustainable Water Management
Gender inclusion in catchment stewardship partnerships is important because water access, use, and management often have gender-specific dynamics. In many societies, women bear the primary responsibility for collecting and managing household water supplies. Yet, they are frequently excluded from decision-making processes about water resource management. Addressing this imbalance is not only a matter of equity but also a practical step toward more effective and sustainable water governance.
Additionally, women and men often use water resources differently. Women are more likely to focus on domestic and subsistence uses, while men might engage in agricultural or industrial water use. Furthermore, women and marginalized groups possess valuable local knowledge about water sources, seasonal variations, and sustainable practices, which can enhance the design and implementation of stewardship initiatives. Ignoring these differences can lead to policies that disadvantage one group over another. Therefore, when women and marginalized groups are excluded from water resources management decisions, their specific needs and insights are overlooked, leading to inequitable outcomes and potentially unsustainable practices. .
Gender Inclusion Challenges in SUWAMA Partnerships
Efforts to promote gender inclusion in the SUWAMA partnerships have revealed significant challenges rooted in systemic, cultural, and operational barriers. Despite some progress, deeply ingrained patriarchal norms and structural inequities continue to limit women’s participation in water resources management and governance.
Firstly, a key challenge is systemic exclusion that cements patriarchal traditions by prioritizing male leadership and decision-making, which become societal norms that assume men are better suited for such roles. Additionally, systemic exclusion also drives traditional perceptions of viewing women and marginalized groups as ‘less capable’ of handling physically demanding tasks; thus, discouraging their involvement in activities like furrow rehabilitation. Secondly, narrow advocacy and representation often leads to gender inclusion topics being treated as a ‘secondary issue’ with token representation in committees rather than systemic integration into governance processes. While progress has been made to address existing policy and implementation gaps, broader systemic reforms and robust implementation are lacking. Lastly, safety concerns caused by gender-based violence risks and traditional beliefs often discourage women’s involvement in roles requiring nighttime work, such as resolving furrow management conflicts.
Boosting Gender Inclusion in SUWAMA Partnerships
Understanding the roles, rights, and needs of women and marginalized groups raises awareness among SUWAMA partners on the need for structured and sustained efforts to empower this group in active water resources management. On 4th and 5th December 2024, 40 beneficiaries (members) of SUWAMA Weruweru (16) and Usa River (14) as well as other water resources beneficiaries from the communities (10 members) were invited to a dialogue aimed at better understanding and dismantling barriers to participation, exploring strategies to amplify the voices of under-represented groups and promote equitable decision-making processes.
To ensure the dialogue process provided a conducive environment for meaningful participation, the workshop organizers used appropriate facilitation styles and language, covered costs for participation, and provided a safe space to all the participants. Inclusive facilitation allows all voices, especially those of women and marginalized groups, to be heard, while using familiar language fosters understanding among rural participants. Covering costs and providing reimbursements removes financial barriers that may otherwise exclude participants. And ensuring safety during travel and at the venue addresses concerns, particularly for women and marginalized groups, enabling them to attend and engage without fear. These factors collectively created an environment that supported equitable and effective participation.
Pathways to Progress: Transformative Recommendations
The discussions on gender roles in irrigation systems identified opportunities for cross-gender collaboration and emphasizing women and marginalized groups’ potential to take on leadership and traditionally male-dominated roles. Women and marginalized groups advocated for more involvement in leadership, water resources protection, maintaining irrigation systems, and planning water allocations, viewing these as critical steps toward equity.
Community education and constitutional reforms were highlighted as tools to break patriarchal barriers and ensure women and marginalized groups’ representation. Participants also proposed alternative income generating activities, like recycling of plastic waste from rivers, to empower women and marginalized groups economically. Training initiatives and community support were deemed necessary to build women and marginalized groups’ confidence and encourage their participation in leadership.
Environmental conservation, including river restoration and tree planting, were identified as a priority, with bylaws and funding needed to support these efforts. These recommendations underline the importance of empowering women and fostering collaboration to achieve sustainable water resources management.
Turning Words into Action: Implementing Gender Inclusion in SUWAMA Partnerships
Moving forward, a SUWAMA partner – Agro Tanzania – will serve as the gender focal person at the partnership secretariat level. The newly developed gender action plan activities will be integrated into the broader Partnership Action Plan under a new working area: “Gender Inclusion in Water Resources Management.”
The gender task force will implement this action plan at both partnership and community levels, with support from the SUWAMA secretariat. The implementation will be conducted through training and workshops. And progress will be monitored through beneficiary evaluations showcasing how the recommendations are being applied and used. These steps aim to transform gender inclusion from a discussion point into practical, measurable actions for sustainable water resource management.
