Over the ages, rural women in subsistence and near-subsistence economies have maintained a sustainable relationship with the environment. This has been manifested in their different roles as users, producers, managers, and income providers. However, the introduction of Western-style development emulating the growth patterns of the North has not only overlooked the needs of the environment but also the needs and knowledge of women. The uninhibited exploitation of nature through development has started eroding the environment. In addition, with the marginalization of women from development schemes, women's cultural, social, economic, and legal status has regressed even further than it was. With no appropriate education, these women have been left defenceless in their confrontation with a changing and frequently adverse environment. / Although literature abounds with studies on women, education, and the environment, few studies attempt to link the three together within the framework of sustainable development. This information gap seems to have hindered development projects from implementing education programs targeting women and focusing on the environment. / This study seeks to fill this information gap. Based on rural women's holistic vision of development, it highlights the necessity of empowering women with a participatory, multifaceted, and integrated nonformal education, which targets gender equity as well as environmental protection and regeneration.

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