Empowerment of Women in Watershed Management

This paper is a case study discussing the high level of community participation in watershed management. This programme is being implemented by the Rajiv Gandhi Watershed Manage ment Mission under the Madhya Pradesh government. The unique feature of this is that the vil lage watershed committee is constituted entirely of women. The case study involves the analysis of the dual process of involving women at all decision-making levels while being subject to the resistance by some sections of the feudal society. The implementation of the watershed pro gramme was done by the zilla panchayat of Sagar district. The approach was to create an aware ness and perception in women, which would empower them to play a positive role in their own development and that of society. The user groups and self-help groups were also closely associ ated with health and sanitation issues, thus directly contributing to the economic and ecological development of Guraiya village.