Shifting boundaries : gender, migration and community resources in the foothills of Choluteca, Honduras

The study explores both migration and the management of local resources in the context of existing patterns of gender and socioeconomic inequities. Evidence from this study suggests that the women and men in this region face growing uncertainties and declining, long-term household security as they struggle to carve a livelihood out of the steep hillsides. In particular, the study examines the balance men and women strive to reach between the opportunities and the constraints presented by the expanding commercialization of the agricultural sector, and the ways in which women and men manage the limited resources available to their household and community. Seasonal and permanent migration in search of wage labor are common responses to the increased population pressures and the declining land, water, and forest resources in the upland communities. Gendered roles, expectations, and patterns of migration clearly shape not only the livelihood choices for individuals and their households but the very social fabric of these communities. Families, especially women and children, must often make difficult adjustments for labor lost to on-farm production. Increases in male outmigration, for example, have created many female-managed households in all four communities. Amid social, economic, and physical change, women and men are renegotiating gender relations at the household level to cope with crises and uncertainties. Environmental degradation, poverty, and outmigration have challenged households to adapt their natural resource management strategies. Women in particular attempt to manage their natural resource base and broaden economic opportunities by strengthening the variety of tree and plant species available in the immediate vicinity of their homes. Community organizations involving both men"s and women"s groups have gradually developed over the past 20 years in an attempt to find group solutions to community-wide problems and to gain greater collective access to natural and financial resources. Despite the positive impact of some development organizations in the uplands of Choluteca, the levels of local participation in group activities, initiated from outside the community, have remained relatively low, seldom incorporating either local men or women into leadership or management roles. Women"s priorities in particular are usually addressed as "add-ons" to projects. The insights gained from an analysis of shifting boundaries and livelihood strategies in Southern Honduras can help development policy makers and practitioners build more effective and equitable policies, programs, and projects across local, regional and national levels. (Author abstract, modified)