ABSTRACT
L Ocal communities generally perceive forest management as a public affair. And yet, as shown by Kanji and Menon-Sen (2001) concerning “spending priorities” or Brown and Lapuyade (2001) about the “separate spheres of action for men and women” in the household, the public domain and investment fall within the competence of men, since women are responsible for “private,” domestic business. Vabi and others (2001) assert that men and women not only play different roles in society, with distinct levels of resource control, but also have different needs and interests. Because of their deciding role in household food security, women are most affected by disruptions in the availability of and access to resources.
