Empowering Indigenous People: Voice, Choice and Agency in Rural Development Planning in Mindanao

Abstract

The chapter explores the disempowered role of women in rural devel- opment planning in Mindanao, Philippines. It argues that women are excluded from opportunities to participate actively in making development decisions as a result of the rise in multinationals who take over small farms and combine them into plantations growing only one crop. These monocultural growing techniques exclude the knowledge that women have about the role of diverse crops and the diverse (including wild) fauna and flora on which many Indigenous people depend for their food security. The repression and ‘weeding out’ of women’s knowledge by multinationals builds upon the patriarchal domination of decision-making. The result is that the knowledge of women about seed diversity, wild fauna and flora is being lost. Following Shiva, a case is made for the representation of women in public decision-making at the community and regional level so that women’s policy suggestions (based on their experience as farmers) is listened to, respected and acted upon, in order to preserve diversity. It is argued that active participation at the community, local government and state government levels should be encouraged to preserve diverse living systems as well as the life chances of the most disadvan- taged women and their children. Moser’s framework is used to analyse inequality in the existing gender division of labour while Kabeer’s social relations approach is used as a lens to critique the existing gender inequality in various institutions spanning the household, community, state and market level. This qualitative research was conducted in the rural and Indigenous communities of Mindanao in 2013. A total of 105 participants were interviewed through theoretical sampling. This study used participant observation, interviews and focus group discussions. The Human Ethics clearance is 6046.