ILC Asia members in Cambodia, STAR Kampuchea conducted four gender trainings in 4 communes in Krokor district in Pursat province. A total of 135 participants attended the trainings.

The basic idea of the trainings was to develop a gender perspective in the community’s approach towards forest management.

The gender concept were integrated in the gender training materials and modules . The trainings helped the communities evaluate the scope of evaluating the role and responsibilities of women in the context of their existent situation. There were group discussions separated as women’s group, men’s group and multi-group (women and men group) to talk about the gender roles on community forestry management .

During the training it was emphasized and brought out through discussions how women across Cambodia can achieve greater participation in, and assume greater responsibilities in Community Forestry management. It can be done through strengthening their institutional including financial management knowledge, document keeping, and equipment maintainance. It was brought out that  especially that community forestry women’s committee members could strongly contribute to community forestry fund  collection from members.  Through the training exercises the community forestry members were confident about the women’s committee members which they can support  their members by managing income generation and controlling local access to resources: they were thought to be able to manage fund more security than men-committee members.

The training helped women understand their necessary roles and responsibility in community forestry as to improve women’s participation in forestry. It was felt that there is a need for capacity development and to promote the decision-making when they have attended the meetings/trainings.

With few resources, women-community forestry committee acquired legal protection of the forest, established patrol teams, demarcated forest boundaries, raised environmental awareness among local communities, organized community patrol volunteers, developed co-management committees with men community forestry committee.

Key messages reflected from training:

• The high level of institutional management of community forestry by women’s group and -related financial management, document keeping, and community fund collection from members is a positive outcome of involving women in community forestry management.
• Women linked to forest patrolling activity leads to cost effectivity.
• Women provide quality output when it comes to negotiation and coordination with key stakeholder for community forestry document formalization development in local communities.