Your search found 14 records
1 Silva, K. T.; Sivapragasam, P. P.; Thanges, P. 2009. Casteless or caste-blind?: dynamics of concealed caste discrimination, social exclusion and protest in Sri Lanka. Copenhagen, Denmark: International Dalit Solidarity Network; New Delhi, India: Indian Institute of Dalit Studies; Colombo, Sri Lanka: Kumaran Book House. 180p.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 305.512 G744 SIL Record No: H046207)
http://idsn.org/uploads/media/Casteless_or_Caste-blind_final_english_publication.pdf
http://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H046207_TOC.pdf
http://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H046207_TOC.pdf
(0.32 MB) (1.71 MB)
2 De, I.; Nag, T. 2016. Local self-governance, ethnic division in slums and preference for water supply institutions in Kolkata, India. Water Policy, 18(3):750-768. [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2015.127]
Water supply ; Institutions ; Local government ; Governance ; Privatization ; Water availability ; Water quality ; Water demand ; User charges ; Ethnic groups ; Slums ; Communities ; Households ; Religious groups ; Social aspects ; Caste systems ; Discrimination ; Economic situation ; Income ; Models / India / Kolkata
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H047613)
(0.26 MB)
This paper investigates the preferences for institutional mechanisms for improved water supply services across different ethnic communities in slums of Kolkata. The Muslim community prefers privatization of water supply as against paid public supply. The backward caste community prefers both paid public delivery and privatization. Residents of non-notified (NN) slums prefer paid public delivery as against privatization. Access to accountability mechanisms for water supply is lower for residents of Muslim dominated regions and NN areas. This is reflected by household perception about awareness of councilors regarding water supply conditions in the slums. The choice of alternative institution depends on the degree of risk of exclusion due to lack of access to accountability mechanisms. Notification of NN slums, higher revenue autonomy and capacity of local bodies, and innovations in scale neutral technologies may improve access to water supply by marginalized communities in slums.
3 Shah, M.; Vijayshankar, P. S. (Eds.) 2016. Water: growing understanding, emerging perspectives. New Delhi, India: Orient BlackSwan. 559p. (Readings on the Economy, Polity and Society)
Water resources development ; Groundwater management ; Groundwater depletion ; Water scarcity ; Water allocation ; Drinking water ; Agriculture ; Water use efficiency ; Water demand ; Water market ; Water rates ; Pricing ; Water policy ; Institutional reform ; Privatization ; Political aspects ; River basins ; Dams ; Balance of nature ; Monsoon climate ; Irrigation systems ; Irrigation canals ; Wells ; Indigenous knowledge ; Socioeconomic environment ; Colonialism ; Gender ; Caste systems ; Capitalism ; Conflict ; Irrigation efficiency ; Electricity supplies ; Economic value ; Gross national product ; Agrarian reform ; Green revolution ; Case studies / India / Gujarat / Bihar / Punjab / Bengal / Indus Basin / Mahanadi Delta / Chhattisgarh / Cauvery River / Jyotirgram Scheme / Narmada Project / Sardar Sarovar Project
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 333.91 G635 SHA Record No: H047744)
(0.38 MB)
4 Sugden, Fraser. 2017. A mode of production flux: the transformation and reproduction of rural class relations in lowland Nepal and North Bihar. Dialectical Anthropology, 41(2):129-161. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10624-016-9436-3]
Agricultural production ; Climate change ; Cultivated land ; Lowland ; Landowners ; Agrarian structure ; Tenant farmers ; Labour ; Living standards ; Political aspects ; Capitalism ; Feudalism ; Colonialism ; Rural communities ; Households ; Social aspects ; History ; Caste systems ; Migration ; Economic situation ; Indebtedness ; Farm income ; Remuneration / Nepal / India / North Bihar / Tarai / Eastern Gangetic Plains / Madhesh / Mithilanchal / Madhubani / Dhanusha / Morang / Purnea / Sunsari
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H047834)
(2.24 MB)
The Eastern Gangetic Plains of South Asia represents a peripheral region far from the centers of global capitalist production, and this is all the more apparent in Mithilanchal, a cultural domain spanning the Nepal/Bihar border. The agrarian structure can be considered ‘semi-feudal’ in character, dominated by landlordism and usury, and backed up by political and ideological processes. Paradoxically, Mithilanchal is also deeply integrated into the global capitalist market and represents a surplus labor pool for the urban centers of Western India as well as the Persian Gulf in a classic articulation between pre-capitalist and capitalist modes of production. A review of the changes in the agrarian structure over recent decades in the context of globalisation, out-migration and climate stress, shows that while landlordism remains entrenched, the relationship between the marginal and tenant farmer majority and the landed classes has changed, with the breakdown of ideological ties and reduced dependence on single landlords. The paper thus ends on a positive note, as the contemporary juncture represents an opportune moment for new avenues of political mobilization among the peasantry.
5 Vij, S.; Narain, V. 2016. Land, water and power: the demise of common property resources in periurban Gurgaon, India. Land Use Policy, 50:59-66. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2015.08.030]
Water resources ; Land use ; Social structure ; Common property ; Wastewater irrigation ; Costs ; Agriculture ; Crop losses ; Livestock ; Urbanization ; Periurban areas ; Gender relations ; Women ; Living standards ; Caste systems ; Rural urban migration ; Villages ; Case studies / India / Haryana / Gurgaon / Budheda / Sadhrana
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048053)
(0.88 MB)
This paper describes how urbanization processes and urban expansion intersect with social and power relations to reduce the access of periurban communities to common property resources (CPRs). Unequal power structures mean that certain groups are deprived of access to village CPRs. Processes of urban expansion further reduce access to CPRs, as the latter are acquired to support urban expansion. Though rural–urban transformations are characterized by the emergence of new sources of irrigation such as wastewater, not all are able to benefit from them. The acquisition of common property grazing lands to support the drinking water needs of the city affects the livelihood of livestock dependent population, that shift to casual labor. This also translates into a shift from grazing, the domain of men in the household, to stall-feeding, the domain of women, and thereby creating additional responsibilities for women in natural resource collection. The demise of CPRs such as village ponds with the increased pressure on groundwater resources increase the drudgery of women and marginalized groups in accessing water.
6 Karn, Sujeet; Sugden, Fraser; Sah, K. K.; Maharjan, J.; Shah, T. N.; Clement, F. 2020. Shifting gender relations in agriculture and irrigation in the Nepal Tarai-Madhesh. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE). 34p. (WLE Research for Development (R4D) Learning Series 10) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2020.211]
Gender relations ; Agricultural sector ; Women’s participation ; Women’s empowerment ; Gender equality ; Vulnerability ; Groundwater irrigation ; Communities ; Migration ; Role of women ; Farmers ; Land ownership ; Land tenure ; Water availability ; Irrigation canals ; Tube wells ; Climate change ; Water user associations ; Capacity building ; Social change ; Caste systems ; Households ; Livelihoods ; Villages ; Constraints ; Labour ; Poverty ; Economic resources ; Microfinance ; Remittances ; Enterprises ; Institutions ; Decision making ; State intervention / Nepal / Eastern Gangetic Plains / Tarai-Madhesh Region / Sunsari / Siraha / Ekamba Village Development Committee / Amaduwa Village Development Committee / Lohani / Kharotole / Bhagwanpur / Fulkahakati
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H050103)
(2.95 MB)
This report explores how women perceive participation and empowerment vis-a-vis access to water and other agricultural resources in the Tarai/Madhesh of Nepal. The report argues that gendered vulnerability is indeed intricately connected with other axes of difference, such as caste and economic status, despite women’s critical role in agricultural production and their active engagement in access to water and irrigation in agriculture. Overall, women’s well-being seems to have decreased as a consequence of male out-migration. However, there are women who have also become empowered in new ways, taking up enterprise opportunities.
The authors point out that at the level of policy and external development interventions, a dominating narrative on women’s limited participation in agriculture being a result of ‘social norms’ exists. Public irrigation agencies have used this myth to absolve themselves of the responsibility for ensuring gender equality in program implementation.
The report concludes that strengthening equitable irrigation user groups alongside capacity building for farmers and program implementers are critical measures for improving women’s access to irrigation and overall well-being. Women should be ensured meaningful participation, including leadership roles.
Finally, this report recommends linking irrigation user groups to other income-generation schemes, and facilitating access to better credit, finance and agricultural inputs.
The authors point out that at the level of policy and external development interventions, a dominating narrative on women’s limited participation in agriculture being a result of ‘social norms’ exists. Public irrigation agencies have used this myth to absolve themselves of the responsibility for ensuring gender equality in program implementation.
The report concludes that strengthening equitable irrigation user groups alongside capacity building for farmers and program implementers are critical measures for improving women’s access to irrigation and overall well-being. Women should be ensured meaningful participation, including leadership roles.
Finally, this report recommends linking irrigation user groups to other income-generation schemes, and facilitating access to better credit, finance and agricultural inputs.
7 Burt, Z.; Prasad, C. S. S.; Drechsel, Pay; Ray, I. 2021. The cultural economy of human waste reuse: perspectives from peri-urban Karnataka, India. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 11(3):386-397. [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2021.196]
Waste management ; Human wastes ; Faecal sludge ; Excreta ; Resource recovery ; Organic fertilizers ; Cultural factors ; Periurban areas ; Caste systems ; Farmers' attitudes ; Agricultural workers ; Economic aspects ; Business models ; Sanitation / India / Karnataka / Dharwad / Bangalore
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050316)
https://iwaponline.com/washdev/article-pdf/11/3/386/889973/washdev0110386.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050316.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050316.pdf
(0.32 MB) (327 KB)
Safely managed waste reuse may be a sustainable way to protect human health and livelihoods in agrarian-based countries without adequate sewerage. The safe recovery and reuse of fecal sludge-derived fertilizer (FSF) has become an important policy discussion in low-income economies as a way to manage urban sanitation to benefit peri-urban agriculture. But what drives the user acceptance of composted fecal sludge? We develop a preference-ranking model to understand the attributes of FSF that contribute to its acceptance in Karnataka, India. We use this traditionally economic modeling method to uncover cultural practices and power disparities underlying the waste economy. We model farmowners and farmworkers separately, as the choice to use FSF as an employer versus as an employee is fundamentally different. We find that farmers who are willing to use FSF prefer to conceal its origins from their workers and from their own caste group. This is particularly the case for caste-adhering, vegetarian farmowners. We find that workers are open to using FSF if its attributes resemble cow manure, which they are comfortable handling. The waste economy in rural India remains shaped by caste hierarchies and practices, but these remain unacknowledged in policies promoting sustainable ‘business’ models for safe reuse. Current efforts under consideration toward formalizing the reuse sector should explicitly acknowledge caste practices in the waste economy, or they may perpetuate the size and scope of the caste-based informal sector.
8 Aslany, M.; Brincat, S. 2021. Class and climate-change adaptation in rural India: beyond community-based adaptation models. Sustainable Development, 12p. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.2201]
Climate change adaptation ; Community involvement ; Social classes ; Caste systems ; Rural areas ; Villages ; Households ; Livelihoods ; Vulnerability ; Decision making ; Policies ; Agriculture / India / Maharashtra
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050399)
(1.07 MB) (1.07 MB)
This article explores the ways in which class structure in agrarian societies shape local adaptation responses to the impact of climate change, based on an empirical study of a village society in western Maharashtra, India. It draws on two types of fieldwork data, quantitative and qualitative, including a round of household socio-economic survey questionnaire and qualitative semi-structured interviews. We show that climate-change adaptation is class specific and varies considerably amongst the different classes within the relations of production even in the same village. The local class structure shape ownership and access to natural resources, with implications for both individual adaptive capacities and attempts to organize adaptation practices at the community-level. Specifically, adaptive practice is revealed as being largely contingent on the size of land owned and livelihood options that affects, in turn, households' adaptation capacities and their experiences of climate change. We find that whilst the village inhabitants have initiated various adaptation strategies privately, no community-based adaptation practices could be identified. As such, we call for a more comprehensive understanding of the class nature of climate change for developing effective climate adaptation strategies at the village-community level and especially for community-based adaptation (CBA) models.
9 Shrestha, A.; Joshi, D.; Roth, D. 2020. The hydro-social dynamics of exclusion and water insecurity of Dalits in peri-urban Kathmandu Valley, Nepal: fluid yet unchanging. Contemporary South Asia, 28(3):320-335. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/09584935.2020.1770200]
Water insecurity ; Caste systems ; Social aspects ; Inclusion ; Discrimination ; Periurban areas ; Water supply ; Drinking water ; Water security ; Water access ; Water rights ; Water use ; Political aspects ; Institutions ; Households ; Communities ; Villages / Nepal / Kathmandu Valley / Lamatar / Tehrabise / Dandathok / Sisneri
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050556)
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09584935.2020.1770200?needAccess=true
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050556.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050556.pdf
(2.20 MB) (2.20 MB)
Processes of urbanisation create peri-urban spaces that are socially and institutionally fluid. In this article, we analyse how contestations and competition over declining water resources in peri-urban Kathmandu Valley in Nepal reshape water use, access and rights as well as user communities themselves, by creating and reproducing new and existing exclusions and solidarities. Traditional caste-based discriminatory practices, prohibiting Dalits from physically accessing water from sources used by higher castes, are said to be no longer practiced in Nepal. However, our findings show that, exclusion persists for Dalits even though the characteristics of exclusion have changed. In situations of competing water claims in the research location, Dalit households, unlike higher-caste groups, are unable to exercise prior-use water rights. Their water insecurity is compounded by their relative inability to mobilise political, social and economic resources to claim and access new water services and institutions. By juxtaposing the hydro-social and social exclusion analytical frameworks, we demonstrate how exclusions as well as interpretations and experiences of water (in)security are reified in post-Maoist, supposedly inclusive Nepal.
10 Varshney, Deepak; Mishra, A. K.; Joshi, P. K.; Roy, D. 2022. Social networks, heterogeneity, and adoption of technologies: evidence from India. Food Policy, 112:102360. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2022.102360]
Agricultural technology ; Social networks ; Mustard ; Hybrids ; Farmers ; Caste systems ; Socioeconomic environment / India / Rajasthan
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051433)
(0.64 MB)
This study examines the role of caste-based affiliations in the smallholders’ social network interactions for adoption choices. In particular, whether lower-caste, namely Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes, farmers rely more on social networks for information than their counterparts. We further explore whether social network effects are more pronounced when farmers interact within their caste than otherwise. Finally, the study tests whether the effects (intra-caste and inter-caste) vary by caste—SC/ST versus non-SC/ST farmers. The study uses a survey of 478 mustard farmers in Rajasthan, India. Econometric concerns related to unobserved heterogeneity are addressed by employing specifications with village fixed effects and a series of robustness tests. Simultaneity concerns are addressed by analyzing the social network effects in a dynamic adoption framework. Results show that the adoption choices regarding hybrid mustard seeds are more pronounced for the lower-caste farmers than for their counterparts. Findings reveal that social network effects are significant in intra-caste but not in the case of inter-caste. Finally, the result shows that the likelihood of accepting advice in technology adoption is higher when SC/ST farmers interact with non-SC/ST network members than when non-SC/ST farmers interact with SC/ ST network members.
11 Kumar, Manish; Rathod, R.; Mukherji, Aditi. 2023. Water security and spring conservation in the Himalaya. In Ojha, H.; Schofield, N.; Camkin, J. (Eds.). Climate risks to water security: framing effective response in Asia and the Pacific. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. pp.15-36. (Palgrave Studies in Climate Resilient Societies) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16648-8_2]
Water security ; Water springs ; Water conservation ; Climate change ; Land use ; Water quality ; Policies ; Communities ; Socioeconomic aspects ; Gender ; Caste systems / India / Himalaya
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051665)
(0.38 MB)
Springs are the most important source of water for the people in the mid-hills of the Himalaya. Emerging evidence shows that they are increasingly drying up, causing numerous hardships for people, with those impacts being felt more acutely by women and members of vulnerable communities like lower castes (Dalits). Climate change, land-use and land cover changes, including haphazard infrastructure (hydropower, road construction), and other socio-economic changes such as urbanization and tourism are the leading causes of the drying up of springs. In the region in general, and India in particular, the last decade and a half have seen increased initiatives for spring revival. In this chapter, we document the genesis of some of these spring revival initiatives in India and note how all stakeholders—communities, civil societies and governments have come to support spring revival initiatives. We also note that the scientific community has not yet caught up with the action on the ground, and we still lack rigorous documentation of the short and long-term effectiveness of spring revival initiatives. We recommend integrating scientific knowledge with social analysis on the governance aspects for improving spring recharge, better management and postulating potential responses of natural and human systems against future climate change impacts in the Himalaya.
12 Buchy, Marlene; Shakya, Shristi. 2023. Gender equality and social inclusion in a just energy transition. India: Think20 (T20). Task Force 6 - Accelerating SDGs: Exploring New Pathways to the 2030 Agenda. 17p.
Gender equality ; Social inclusion ; Energy policies ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Goal 7 Affordable and clean energy ; Energy poverty ; Electricity ; Women's participation ; Technology ; Governance ; Caste systems ; Case studies ; Households / South Asia / Nepal
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052043)
https://t20ind.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/T20_PolicyBrief_TF6_Gender-JustEnergyTransition.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052043.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052043.pdf
(0.22 MB) (220 KB)
Universal access to affordable clean energy continues to be a challenge across the globe. Women’s and marginalised groups’ access to clean energy services and green technologies remains constrained by intersectional social factors and gender-blind policies. The recurrent failure of policies to consider differentiated gender and social inclusion needs is a significant obstacle to sustainable development. Underlining the concepts of energy poverty and energy justice, this Policy Brief identifies the key institutional and social constraints to addressing issues of gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) in energy policy in the South Asian region. Studying the case of Nepal, the brief makes recommendations on how to facilitate a gender- and socially inclusive energy transition. These include developing evidence-based gender policies and socially inclusive energy policies; fostering a government culture of intersectoral collaboration; and investing in a workforce able to address the technological challenges to achieving energy justice.
13 Buchy, Marlene; Elias, M.; Khadka, Manohara. 2023. Invisible women: barriers for women professionals in the water, energy, food, and environment sectors in Nepal. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 7:1146187. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1146187]
Gender equality ; Social inclusion ; Role of women ; Barriers ; Leadership ; Water management ; Energy ; Food production ; Environment ; Nexus approaches ; Climate change ; Social norms ; Decision making ; Marginalization ; Discrimination ; Caste systems ; Ethnicity ; Sexual harassment ; Public sector ; Private sector ; Non-governmental organizations ; Policies / Nepal / Kathmandu
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052233)
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1146187/pdf?isPublishedV2=False
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052233.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052233.pdf
(0.38 MB) (390 KB)
Despite evidence of women’s roles and expertise in the management of water, energy, food, and the environment (WEFE), the WEFE literature is almost silent on gender issues. In the context of climate change, achieving more inclusive management of natural resources is vital; yet women continue to be underrepresented as professionals in WEFE sectors, and largely absent in leadership positions. Using Nepal as a case study, this paper explores the enduring barriers to their exclusion, and entry points for greater equity among professionals in these sectors. To do so, we draw on key informant interviews with 34 male and 31 women professionals from government, civil society, non-governmental organizations and consultants, as well as a roundtable discussion with 20 women professionals specifically focused on gender barriers in these sectors in Nepal. Drawing on Gaventa (2006)’s power cube, this paper examines how power dynamics within and between the public and the private spheres create a web of barriers that conflate to sideline women professionals. While women have reached the “closed space” as defined by Gaventa (i.e., are recruited to professional positions in WEFE sectors), different sources of “hidden” and “invisible” power at play in the public and private spheres continue to limit their participation, influence and decision-making. We argue that the continued marginalization of women professionals calls for a focus on understanding the power and intersectionality dynamics that sustain exclusion. This focus is critical for the development of strategies to increase the voice and leadership of women professionals in WEFE decision-making.
14 Khadka, Manohara; Joshi, Deepa; Uprety, Labisha; Shrestha, Gitta. 2023. Gender and socially inclusive WASH in Nepal: moving beyond “technical fixes”. Frontiers in Human Dynamics, 5:1181734. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fhumd.2023.1181734]
Water, sanitation and hygiene ; Gender equality ; Social inclusion ; Women ; Caste systems ; Ethnicity ; Political aspects ; Federalism ; Institutions ; Local government ; Policies ; Governance ; Decision making ; Rural areas / Nepal / Sarlahi / Dailekh
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052237)
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fhumd.2023.1181734/pdf?isPublishedV2=False
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052237.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052237.pdf
(1.03 MB) (1.03 MB)
The enactment of a new Constitution in 2015 in Nepal marked a shift to a representative system of federal governance. Earlier in 2002, the country’s Tenth Five Year Plan had committed to a core focus on gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) in national policies and governance. How do these two strategic shifts in policy align in the case of WASH projects in rural Nepal? Applying a feminist political lens, we review the implementation of WASH initiatives in two rural districts to show that deep-rooted intersectional complexities of caste, class, and gender prevent inclusive WASH outcomes. Our findings show that the policy framing for gender equitable and socially inclusive outcomes have not impacted the WASH sector, where interventions continue as essentially technical interventions. While there has been significant increase in the number of women representatives in local governance structures since 2017, systemic, informal power relationship by caste, ethnicity and gender entrenched across institutional structures and cultures persist and continue to shape unequal gender-power dynamics. This is yet another example that shows that transformative change requires more than just affirmative policies.
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