268
rural areas poses significant caveats to social welfare services and discourages the
participation of women in local political dialogues, with educational inequalities
further perpetuating the rural land tenure. Due to gender gaps, it is often the case
that rural female household heads have limited access to land, training, financing
and other benefits that are generally available to men. Thus, public emphasis on
support and investment aimed at helping women are vital for increasing productivity and improving livelihoods for women in resource-rich regions.
Concepts like sustainable livelihoods are abound in the present-day sustainable
development (SD) literature. Whilst the notion of SD owes its origins to environmental activists in the nineteenth century, in the contemporary era, SD is seen as a
broad term encompassing a wide range of social, economic, environmental and
political elements (Dresner 2008). Global organizations such as the World Bank and
the United Nations have embraced the Brundtland Commission’s definition of SD,
one that states it is “Meet(ing) the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (World Commission on
Environment and Development 1987, p. 31).
Forging sustainable livelihoods necessitates placing people, particularly women,
at the centre of the resource industry. This approach transcends the notion of sustainability and therefore has the potential to overcome community development
limitations (often caused by community natural resource dependence). Scholarship
in sustainability, corporate social responsibility and business ethics argues that communities receiving paternalistic treatment by corporations encounter limitations in
achieving sustainable development aspirations (Cornelius et al. 2008; Jenkins 2004;
Veiga et al. 2001). Jenkins (2004, p. 26) calls this “false dependency”: a scenario in
which corporations act as providers of services and business for communities. In
reality, it only worsens the situation as communities become “mere puppets in the
regeneration game played out by large national, regional and local agencies”
(Cornelius et al. 2008, p. 358). Yet, resource industries can however significantly
contribute to helping communities, particularly women, forge more sustainable
livelihoods through integrating them into the industry or into other sectors relevant
for the local economy. This approach also has the potential to assist the industry in
fostering sustainable resource practices, creating diversified livelihood options and
reducing tensions emerging from unequal distribution of resources.
17.2.2 Women’s Sustainable Livelihoods
Forging sustainable livelihoods in resource regions can assist women in becoming
active participants in shaping their life plans and achieving their sustainable development aspirations. It can also foster paths for sustainable peace in resource regions
commonly impacted by conflict. Recent resource development has positioned the
extractive industry as one of the major economic activities in the region. In the
Colombian case, operations have been undertaken by Canadian and domestic exploration and mining companies. Metal production in Risaralda represented 6.71% of
Colombia’s total production in 2005 (UPME 2006). The extractive industry plays a
I. B. Franco and E. Derbyshire
rural areas poses significant caveats to social welfare services and discourages the
participation of women in local political dialogues, with educational inequalities
further perpetuating the rural land tenure. Due to gender gaps, it is often the case
that rural female household heads have limited access to land, training, financing
and other benefits that are generally available to men. Thus, public emphasis on
support and investment aimed at helping women are vital for increasing productivity and improving livelihoods for women in resource-rich regions.
Concepts like sustainable livelihoods are abound in the present-day sustainable
development (SD) literature. Whilst the notion of SD owes its origins to environmental activists in the nineteenth century, in the contemporary era, SD is seen as a
broad term encompassing a wide range of social, economic, environmental and
political elements (Dresner 2008). Global organizations such as the World Bank and
the United Nations have embraced the Brundtland Commission’s definition of SD,
one that states it is “Meet(ing) the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (World Commission on
Environment and Development 1987, p. 31).
Forging sustainable livelihoods necessitates placing people, particularly women,
at the centre of the resource industry. This approach transcends the notion of sustainability and therefore has the potential to overcome community development
limitations (often caused by community natural resource dependence). Scholarship
in sustainability, corporate social responsibility and business ethics argues that communities receiving paternalistic treatment by corporations encounter limitations in
achieving sustainable development aspirations (Cornelius et al. 2008; Jenkins 2004;
Veiga et al. 2001). Jenkins (2004, p. 26) calls this “false dependency”: a scenario in
which corporations act as providers of services and business for communities. In
reality, it only worsens the situation as communities become “mere puppets in the
regeneration game played out by large national, regional and local agencies”
(Cornelius et al. 2008, p. 358). Yet, resource industries can however significantly
contribute to helping communities, particularly women, forge more sustainable
livelihoods through integrating them into the industry or into other sectors relevant
for the local economy. This approach also has the potential to assist the industry in
fostering sustainable resource practices, creating diversified livelihood options and
reducing tensions emerging from unequal distribution of resources.
17.2.2 Women’s Sustainable Livelihoods
Forging sustainable livelihoods in resource regions can assist women in becoming
active participants in shaping their life plans and achieving their sustainable development aspirations. It can also foster paths for sustainable peace in resource regions
commonly impacted by conflict. Recent resource development has positioned the
extractive industry as one of the major economic activities in the region. In the
Colombian case, operations have been undertaken by Canadian and domestic exploration and mining companies. Metal production in Risaralda represented 6.71% of
Colombia’s total production in 2005 (UPME 2006). The extractive industry plays a
I. B. Franco and E. Derbyshire