International Symposium on
Drylands Ecology and Human Security

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Encouraging Local Women Participation
in Water Resources Management in Zanjanrood

Jafar Yaghoubi* & Masoud Yazdanpanah

Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran
*e-mail:
Jafar230@yahoo.com


Abstract

Water resources management has several aspects and governmental resources aren’t enough to address them. Local people are the major owner of water resources, so their support is necessary for success in water related plans and activities. The rational solution to success in local people’s support is indigenous people especially local women participation in water related plans. Women’s contribution to and role in food security is often underestimated and overlooked because much of their labor consists of unpaid work in fields that produce for the household rather than the market. As a result it goes unrecorded in national statistics. This unrecognized economic resource represents an efficiency loss for the household, society and the economy as a whole. The exclusion of women from the planning, implementation and management of water resources is a major cause of the high rate of failure in efficient water management and achieving sustainable environment in Iran. The purpose of this study was to offer some approaches for local people participation in Zanjanrood, Zanjan Province, Iran. The study utilized PRA approach and descriptive survey research. The questionnaire and interview were used for data collection in this study. The population consisted of water related experts in Zanjan Water Resources Management CO, Agricultural Organization and agricultural Bank and local people in Zanjanrood. The results of the study showed that the most problems of water related plans are: bureaucracy, lack of local people participation, biases in private cooperations introduction and lack of local opportunities application. Results show that the main approaches for empowerment of women participation in water resources management are: to identify importance of women in provide and management of water resources, providing water related television programs with women participation, improving women education in water related fields and organizing women non governmental organizations (NGOs) in water resources management and maintain.

Keywords: Participation, Local People, Women, Water Resources Management