28 October 2014: The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) has released a handbook on improving women’s participation in the local management of natural resources. The handbook discusses how to best engage women in the Adaptive Collaborative Management (ACM) approach.

The handbook, titled ‘Field Guide to Adaptive Collaborative Management and Improving Women’s Participation,’ stresses the importance of avoiding parallel tracks for the participation of men and women in natural resource management, and instead, calls for the careful monitoring of gender throughout the process. In particular, the guide states that ACM can identify gender differences with regard to priorities, constraints and challenges in the use and management of forest resources.

Specific steps covered in the handbook include, preparing for ACM, identifying priorities, making a plan, monitoring and reflecting, taking action, and revising the approach based on experiences. The handbook stresses the need to give women a voice in meeting and building women’s confidence, recognizing women’s priorities and activities, taking a holistic and systemic approach to gender, and supporting conflict resolution.

CIFOR is part of the CGIAR Consortium. [CIFOR Press Release] [Publication: Field Guide to Adaptive Collaborative Management and Improving Women’s Participation]