<p>This Master’s thesis is one of two parts of a combined project called <i>Sustainable development around the Lake Victoria</i>, the purpose of which is to investigate the importance of local anchoring and active participation in the work towards sustainable development. The present study aims to investigate whether men and women are empowered by the participatory rural appraisal (PRA) process promoted in their villages by the VI Agroforestry Project Masaka/Rakai. </p><p>The study is primarily based on interviews with farmers within the project area and brings up a local perspective on the concepts sustainable development, active participation and empowerment. The study shows that to improve the farmers’ livelihood and to create a sustainable development in the community, the farmers have to be actively involved in, and in control of, the process. The people concerned are the ones who are most familiar with the local society and to make the development sustainable in a long-term perspective, activities and solutions need to be adapted to local conditions and circumstances. However, the farmers must first know what kind of development they want, i.e. where they want to go, and be aware of what means they may utilize to get there. In other words, the farmers need to be empowered before they can be in charge of their development process. </p><p>According to the interviews, the farmers are encouraged by the VI Agroforestry Project’s PRA process to discuss their present situation with each other, to develop strategies of how to improve it and to increase the collaboration within the villages. From this I come to the conclusion that the PRA process promoted in their villages has made the farmers more aware of their situation and better equipped to identify opportunities in their neighbourhood. Therefore, I argue that the farmers are empowered by the VI Agroforestry Project’s PRA process. </p><p>The study is published both as a Master’s thesis for the Environmental Science Programme, Linköping University and as a Minor Field Study for Sida. There are only editorial differences between the two versions.</p>

<p>During the years the awareness of gender issues has increased in the international arena and the importance of including gender aspects in development projects has been emphasised. This Master’s thesis is based on a case study of the VI Agroforestry Project (VIAFP) in Uganda and is one of the two subprojects of the study Sustainable development around the Lake Victoria basin, with the purpose to investigate the importance of local anchoring and active participation in the work towards sustainable development. The aim of this subproject is to investigate how gender roles among men and women in Kalisizo zone, in the Masaka and Rakai districts, in Uganda, affect the VI Agroforestry Project and if the project in return affects the gender roles. </p><p>The study is primarily based on interviews with farmers involved in the VIAFP activities in Kalisizo zone and shows that the project and the gender roles affect each other more or less in both ways. The women are somewhat more active in both farming and the activities connected with the household, and therefore also more engaged in the project activities and meetings. However, the gender roles have changed in the way that men have increased their interest in farming activities since they joined the VI Agroforestry Project. Both men and women involved in the VIAFP activities have more work on their farm than before they joined the project, but it seems as if they think it is worth the extra effort to gain more in the end. However, the project has to consider the fact that women often have a bigger workload to start with. </p><p>It is important for the VIAFP to adjust the activities and the feedback to different wishes and needs within the communities so that everyone feels they gain from the project activities, and also so that everyone who wants to participate at different activities have the opportunity to do so. Since the majority of the staff are Ugandans the ways of implying values from the North into the communities are less than if this had not been the case. </p><p>The study is published in two versions, both as a Master's thesis for the Environmental Science Programme, Linköping University and as a Minor Field Study for Sida. The differences between the versions are only editorial.</p>

This Master’s thesis is one of two parts of a combined project called Sustainable development around the Lake Victoria, the purpose of which is to investigate the importance of local anchoring and active participation in the work towards sustainable development. The present study aims to investigate whether men and women are empowered by the participatory rural appraisal (PRA) process promoted in their villages by the VI Agroforestry Project Masaka/Rakai. The study is primarily based on interviews with farmers within the project area and brings up a local perspective on the concepts sustainable development, active participation and empowerment. The study shows that to improve the farmers’ livelihood and to create a sustainable development in the community, the farmers have to be actively involved in, and in control of, the process. The people concerned are the ones who are most familiar with the local society and to make the development sustainable in a long-term perspective, activities and solutions need to be adapted to local conditions and circumstances. However, the farmers must first know what kind of development they want, i.e. where they want to go, and be aware of what means they may utilize to get there. In other words, the farmers need to be empowered before they can be in charge of their development process. According to the interviews, the farmers are encouraged by the VI Agroforestry Project’s PRA process to discuss their present situation with each other, to develop strategies of how to improve it and to increase the collaboration within the villages. From this I come to the conclusion that the PRA process promoted in their villages has made the farmers more aware of their situation and better equipped to identify opportunities in their neighbourhood. Therefore, I argue that the farmers are empowered by the VI Agroforestry Project’s PRA process. The study is published both as a Master’s thesis for the Environmental Science Programme, Linköping University and as a Minor Field Study for Sida. There are only editorial differences between the two versions.

During the years the awareness of gender issues has increased in the international arena and the importance of including gender aspects in development projects has been emphasised. This Master’s thesis is based on a case study of the VI Agroforestry Project (VIAFP) in Uganda and is one of the two subprojects of the study Sustainable development around the Lake Victoria basin, with the purpose to investigate the importance of local anchoring and active participation in the work towards sustainable development. The aim of this subproject is to investigate how gender roles among men and women in Kalisizo zone, in the Masaka and Rakai districts, in Uganda, affect the VI Agroforestry Project and if the project in return affects the gender roles. The study is primarily based on interviews with farmers involved in the VIAFP activities in Kalisizo zone and shows that the project and the gender roles affect each other more or less in both ways. The women are somewhat more active in both farming and the activities connected with the household, and therefore also more engaged in the project activities and meetings. However, the gender roles have changed in the way that men have increased their interest in farming activities since they joined the VI Agroforestry Project. Both men and women involved in the VIAFP activities have more work on their farm than before they joined the project, but it seems as if they think it is worth the extra effort to gain more in the end. However, the project has to consider the fact that women often have a bigger workload to start with. It is important for the VIAFP to adjust the activities and the feedback to different wishes and needs within the communities so that everyone feels they gain from the project activities, and also so that everyone who wants to participate at different activities have the opportunity to do so. Since the majority of the staff are Ugandans the ways of implying values from the North into the communities are less than if this had not been the case. The study is published in two versions, both as a Master's thesis for the Environmental Science Programme, Linköping University and as a Minor Field Study for Sida. The differences between the versions are only editorial.