Book Description

"This book assumes significance because it takes stock of changes, progress, issues, policy implications and experiences of the agencies involved in the wasteland development programmes.... This book gives practical solutions to issues of changes in policies, laws and administration based on various experiences.... This book is a useful source of information for all those involved in such programmes and policies. --Deccan Herald "This volume represents a significant landmark in the continued efforts to enhance rural poor women's access to land and other productive resources, for better livelihoods and improved status. . . . It is a landmark from the point of view of both practitioners and researchers, as it brings together an array of practical experiences in the field of organizing women for improved access and greater bargaining power. Along with this, it deals with related issues and problems. . . . The book is a valuable addition to the literature on women's poverty and landlessness, their struggle to strengthen their rights and status, thus providing an agenda for action by policymakers, NGOs, and women's groups, as well as international agencies." --Seminar What role do women play in the development of wasteland areas and regions? How do caste, class, and tribal affiliation affect women's participation in development of wasteland areas? This volume brings together policy-makers, researches, and village women to discuss and analyze wasteland development primarily from the perspective of the women themselves, and not merely from the point of environmental regeneration. Contributors first address the evolution of wasteland development in India in general, offering a unique framework for understanding the place of women within it. They then document the grassroots experience of village women in the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat. Throughout, contributors examine legal implications of women gaining access to land-based resources and review policy issues that will ensure women's continued participation in wasteland development. "Although the data collected are confined to India, they help reach conclusions valid for trans-border countries in common ecological belts." -The Statesman "It is rich in empirical material, and adds considerably to the existing evidence of the interrelationship between poverty, natural resources and gender. . . . The editors must be congratulated for selecting paper of almost uniform quality, and covering such comprehensive range of issues. . . . The most important contribution of this book . . . is the extensive evidence it offers for a still nascent thesis in the field of women's empowerment." -The Book Review