Promoting women's traditional knowledge to open firebreaks

Advisory

Climate Action

Gender Equality

problem & solution

Intensive forest exploitation and uncontrolled fires in Chibabava degraded biodiversity, increasing climate vulnerability for the inhabitants. At the same time, due to entrenched gender prejudices, women were often excluded them from decision-making roles, which contributed to their invisibility in conservation efforts, despite their traditionally deep ecological knowledge.

The solution was Azada Verde’s reforestation project that engaged women in firebreak creation—cleared strips of land that help stop the spread of wildfires—, bringing forward their traditional expertise, and creating paid opportunities that elevated their social and economic status within the community.

the experience

Initial assessments: Azada Verde conducted socio-economic and environmental studies in collaboration with community members and local authorities to identify vulnerable areas and guide project design.
Community sub-committees and consultation: Community meetings were held to share project goals and clarify roles, placing emphasis on the inclusion of women in all stages. Sub-committees were set up (more than 50% women), who jointly decided on the passage zones, the community participation and the organization of the work. Together with the community, the firebreaks’ dimensions and payment structures were defined to ensure clarity and fairness.
Firebreak implementation: The firebreaks were created by defining their width based on the type of grass present: the taller the grass, the wider the firebreak. Women’s traditional knowledge of local flora as well as of sacred sites proved invaluable. It guided the selection of areas for clearing, ensuring that ecologically and culturally valuable areas were avoided. Including women in this phase directly addressed structural inequalities by valorising their knowledge and giving them visible, paid roles in environmental management, positioning them as leaders in a domain typically dominated by men.
Review and adaptation: Based on findings from an evaluation, the team adjusted the width from five to ten metres to improve effectiveness and incorporated the community’s lessons into future plans.

Challenges

Women don't usually take part in decision-making groups, it's usually men.
Pre-existing gender roles in the community have caused some men to show resistance to participating in mixed activities.
The lack of previous experience in controlled burning required intensive training and continuous monitoring by Azada Verde's technical team.

Impact

Restoration of biodiversity and recovery of forest products (honey, mushrooms, herbs for medicinal use and straw for roofs).
Increasing financial independence and community influence of women.
Strengthened community resilience to climate change through proactive forest management.
Positive transformation of gender roles, reducing women's vulnerability and enhancing their community participation.

Lessons Learned

Integrate the communities from planning to execution, to ensure sustainability and promoted engagement and care for the restored areas. Clearly and respectfully communicate tasks and payment details to build trust and ensure that everybody is aligned in the same objective.
Delegate responsibilities, by fostering community sub-committees, where more than 50% of the members are women.
Schedule fire management tasks strategically to ensure safety and effectiveness (on early hours when the grass is damp and not on windy days).